When We Collide Sparks Fly
by DarkElements10
Summary: Love can be unexpected when two people from completely different backgrounds share the most important thing they have in common. Even things they don't have in common bring them closer. From the minute Barry and Cadence met sparks flew and they were thrown together in a search for the one thing they both had desperately been looking for. Barry/OC. *Companion to FF, CF, and FttF*
1. Chapter 1

**Sparks Fly**

 **By: Riley**

 **Summary** **–** Love can be unexpected when two people from completely different backgrounds share the most important thing they have in common. Not to mention things they don't have in common. From the minute Barry and Cadence met sparks flew and they were thrown together in a search for the one thing they both had desperately been looking for. Barry/OC.

 **A/N:** Despite having the same characters (and when I originally wrote it) this story _doesn't_ fall within _Flash Fire_ or _Crossfire. Y_ ou **_DO NOT_** have to read either of those stories to understand what's going on here. If you want to, go for it, maybe even leave a review *shameless self plug*. But you don't have to. I just wanted to make that clear before there was any confusion.

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 **.:1:.**

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Barry skidded to a stop with enough speed that smoke poured out from the bottom of the shoes built into his suit. He took the time to wave the gray cloud away before turning to his companion with a bright smile, pulling off his hood.

Cadence rolled her head towards him a half smile on her face. Dressed in her suit, goggles down around her neck, she crossed her arms as she waited.

"And that's number five," Barry declared. He dusted off his hands triumphantly. "Five in the last thirty minutes. What was your score again?" He laughed as Cadence held up her hand, which was then covered in flames shaped in what looked like a rude gesture.

"We're keeping score now?" She asked.

"You were the one who wondered how many robberies, carjacking, muggings, and other overall hi-jinks Central City can get up to." He rubbed his hands together before mimicking her stance. "I'm just keeping track."

"And lucky for you, slowpoke, I've been keeping track of the time," Cadence replied. She mimed tapping her wrist. "We have to get back or else Captain Singh will start to get suspicious. I mean, a lunch break's a lunch break but you know how he gets when _he's_ so busy he doesn't get a chance to eat his Big Belly Burger."

Barry grimaced. "All too well," he agreed. "Race you back to the precinct." He started to pull his hood back on.

"How is that even—"Cadence was cut off by the gust of wind that Barry left behind. Rolling her eyes she pulled her hair out of her face, replaced her goggles back up over her eyes, and teleported, leaving a trail of smoke behind.

Barry raced back to STAR Labs—after making a quick pit stop—and was sitting calmly in the chair in his office when Cadence arrived, brushing leaves and twigs out of her hair. Barry smirked to himself as he focused his gaze on his computer screen.

"Did you trip me?" She demanded.

"When would I have had the time?" He tried to look as innocent as possible but knew he was failing.

" _When would I have had the time?"_ Cadence repeated in a nasally voice. "That's crap and you know it, Barry. That excuse went out the window the second you became the fastest man alive."

"The fastest man alive who made a pit stop for Chinese," Barry corrected her. He turned away from his computer screen and motioned to the boxes sitting on the far end of his work bench. "You're welcome."

"I'll thank you for that, but not for tripping me, Tholly," Cadence replied.

Barry tried not to smile at the nickname she used for him and tried not to blush all the same. She had suggested that she wouldn't call him 'Bare' like everyone else considering it would inadvertently make her think of him naked. Then again she always made offhand comments like that to him, Cisco, and Caitlin as her mouth didn't particularly hold a filter.

Or as she also explained it, being in residency while trying to become a pediatrician 'nakedness didn't embarrass her' so it appeared teasing other people and purposefully paying attention to jokes that could be made out of otherwise harmless comments.

Cadence's eyes shifted over to the white take-put boxes that continuously let off steam as the seconds passed. Reaching forward she picked up the box nearest to her and popped it open. "You're lucky I like Chinese or else I would've set your pants on fire."

Barry laughed, turning away from his computer screen and used his feet to propel himself along the ground towards the food. He picked up a box and a pair of chopsticks, twirling them around his finger. "So you've been here for a little while, do you prefer to work with the CCPD or in residency?"

Cadence's nose wrinkled as she thought. "Well it's either being consistently called 'Candace' by Captain Singh' or being on my feet for hours on end and the one minute I stop to get something to eat I get told I'm not working hard enough." She shrugged. "But I like working here better; I get to hang out with my friends all day."

Barry smiled and busied himself with his food.

When first meeting her a couple months before she had gotten his attention by setting up a decoy fire at the outskirts of Central City, in a forest. When he had gone to figure out the cause of the fire and it had disappeared as quickly as it came, he was just as surprised to find her waiting for him, saying she had set up the fire to meet him. Since then nothing had been normal since Cadence arrived.

Not only had she been a fire metahuman since she was eight, something he, Caitlin, and Cisco didn't find out the reason for it until later, but she had a past with Harrison Wells the others hadn't expected. First thought to be a friend of her family, it was later revealed she was his and Tess Morgan's daughter, having been adopted at birth by her parents Kent and Maya.

Since they met the two had become fast friends, bonding over their metahuman abilities and how isolated it made them feel amongst the company of their peers. Having to keep a secret that big from so many people in their lives had been hard, but being able to tell each other, finding they had a lot of experiences with it in common. They fought together against a multitude of metahumans, coming close to saving Bette—or as Cisco nicknamed Plastique—from General Eiling but failed.

But it was found later that she hadn't in fact perished in her explosion and had joined the Suicide Squad and another group called the Assassination Bureau who both tried to take over Central City via the capturing of Barry to lure Harrison Wells into their clutches. It had almost worked, until Cadence, who had been working with the Assassination Bureau, figured out that Breathtaker, the leader of the organization, and Mindboggler, another member, had mind controlled her into befriending Barry and tried to lure him to them.

In the moment Barry was disgusted with how easily she had betrayed him and the rest of their friends at STAR Labs. It wasn't until she had concocted a plan that helped them and Team Arrow—who had been caught up in the attack while getting Team Flash's help to figure out the components of a weaponized boomerang—break out of their constraints and defeated the Suicide Squad and the Assassination Bureau before they could destroy the city. Now they were back to facing metahumans amongst Barry's quest to find and take down the Man in Yellow for killing his mother.

"It's a pretty good perk," Barry insisted. "Especially to have someone around to make up an excuse in case something comes up."

"Poor you, for the first hours of your new life no one knew anything about your powers," Cadence teased.

"You know, you really don't have to be so bitter that I'm faster than you." Barry started to take another bite of food. As soon as he put it into his mouth he noticed the mischievous expression that suddenly came onto Cadence's face.

Too late.

Barry placed the food in his mouth the second she increased the heat within it, immediately burning his tongue. Barry's eyes bulged and he spat the mouthful back into his takeout box. He ran his tongue over his teeth, grimacing at the fuzzy sensation, trying to ignore Cadence's laughter.

"Who's the fast one now?" She teased.

"That's not funny," Barry mumbled, holding his tongue out.

"Fine." She then crossed her arms, gently nudging his with her foot. "But I'm still stronger than you."

"Considering you've had your powers for sixteen years, that's not an argument I can win."

"Score!" Cadence cheered, punching her fists into the air.

Barry laughed again, setting his food down so he could wait for it to cool. He motioned to the plastic packages that sat by the other cartons filled with rice and vegetables. "You can take an extra fortune cookie to Brady if you want. I'm sure he'll get a kick out of it."

"Why?" Cadence looked at him suspiciously. "Do they blow up in your face or something?"

"No, but that'd be a great selling point. Fill them with confetti and there'd be more of them sold for holidays and birthdays and maybe even gender reveal parties. Major lucrative opportunities."

Now the two were openly laughing. "You're such a dork, Barry. But I'll be sure to mention to Brady that his favorite superhero gave him a fortune cookie."

Barry nodded, continuing to try and quell his laughter. "You don't need to be so jealous that your own son likes me better than you."

The fire metahuman's eyebrows lifted as she let out a single, "ha!"

'It's okay that he does. Most of the city does anyway."

Cadence laughed loudly. "This coming from the guy that seems to have an attack of the jealousies whenever Eddie comes near him." The correct phrasing would have actually been 'an envy attack' but he chose not to correct her. She reached out her hand and poked him in the cheek. "And who gets extremely self conscious when he starts to use his science jargon whenever he gets excited about something."

Barry reached up and batted her hand away. "I don't get self conscious about it," he defended himself. "I just get tired of people looking at me with a blank expression."

"Well you shouldn't, because it's cute," Cadence said. "And you using your scientific jargon makes you, you. And there's only one Barry Allen."

Barry nodded, feeling his stomach start to twist at the complement, his palms filled with sweat, and he nervously rubbed them on the legs of his jeans. Barry opened his mouth to reply then stopped when he noticed the time.

"Oh, I've got to get back to work!" He started to push himself back to his desk, and then stopped midway through his journey. He grimaced at his mistake. "Not that I'm trying to get away from you or anything, or that it's more important. I mean it is, but—"

He had to be clear about that sort of thing. He couldn't have her thinking that he wasn't into her—or other women for that matter. Being with someone he could completely be himself about, someone he didn't have to keep his secret from wouldn't be so bad would it?

"Don't worry, Barry, I get your point. I've got to get going, too." Cadence wiggled her fingers in the air. "Not every day you get a chance to go digging through someone's brain. Literally." She noticed the expression on Barry's face and quickly added, "Strictly due to work. I'm not into mad scientist experiments like Cisco."

"Just as long as you don't get the mad scientist hair," Barry joked back. "Cause Cisco's already halfway there."

"I've noticed. Don't tell him I told you that, though. He'll stop sharing his candy with me. I'll see you later, Barry." Cadence waved and made sure to grab her share of food before leaving his office.

Barry smiled and watched her leave. He went to take another bite of food and immediately spit it out when it burned his tongue once more. _I hate it when she does that,_ he thought.

And the fact that the fire metahuman had such a high body temperature that she nearly constantly wore looser; shorter clothing that consistently drew his eye didn't help matters much either.

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 **A/N:** Let me know what you guys think; I think my favorite part of writing Barry and Cadence is their friendship in particular so I started off with tat. As I've said before this is a re-write of Sparks Fly (though once the first one is deleted this story will take on that title).

My biggest issue with the last version of it was that it was slowly starting to become more about their metahuman duties rather than the romance aspect of the story, the latter of which I wanted the story to be about in the first place.

So some things of this re-write stay the same (such as with parts of this chapter) while other plots have been moved to _Crossfire_ and its upcoming sequel. I'm still taking into consideration suggestions that you guys have given me the last time I wrote the story.


	2. Chapter 2

**.:2:.**

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Cadence woke up with a sharp breath through her nose. Something as light as a breeze had touched her cheek, abruptly rousing her from her slumber. Sweat dripped down her forehead and she found herself suddenly encumbered by heat. Flipping back her covers Cadence brought her knees up, resting her forehead against it.

The last time things like that had happened was when she had been working with the Assassination Bureau; certain times were blocked out she knew had to be because of Breathtaker's and Mindboggler's mind controlling her. She was also sure that Stratos had knocked her out a few times so that Incognito could use his powers to take on her appearance when needed. Not to mention Stratos always had a bit of a temper that he took out on her, having been assigned to watch and make sure she was a good fit for the organization.

But it didn't make sense.

What would make her powers get so wacked out now?

At some point she knew she needed to go to STAR Labs and have them check to see what was going on, but she wanted to be sure of everything first. That was the way she worked, since she was a teen and had to take care of herself, she didn't ask for help until the very last minute. Yes, she was independent, yes she could be stubborn, but at least she could take care of herself. A lot of the people she used to know were on their own and still calling their parents to figure out how to wash their clothes.

Pushing back the covers on her bed, Cadence reached over to the bedside table and picked up a few pieces of paper and their accompanying envelopes. Bills. Of course. Tilting her head, she rubbed her neck, feeling the muscles starting to cramp up. Thank God she had fire powers or else she'd spend a lot of money with a masseuse, massaging out her muscles had been a breeze as of late. Those that came on from stress was starting to become harder and harder to deal with.

"Oh, you're awake." Cadence turned her and watched Brady as he entered the room, bare feet thudding on the hardwood floor as he went. His lips pulled down at the corner and he gave her an accusing glance. "I was going to wake you up. You ruined it."

Cadence smiled. "What were you going to do this time? Jump on my back?"

"No. I was going to shake your shoulder." There was a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Right." She didn't believe him for a second.

"What's that?"

Following his point, Cadence looked at the bills in her hand and decided not to worry him more than he needed to be. "Bills," she explained. "I just have to pay those off and then balance my check book. No big."

Brady walked over and flopped down onto his mother's bed, resting his chin in his hands as he stretched out. "Was that what you were going to do all day?"

"Trust me when I say that being an adult isn't that interesting," Cadence said to him with a laugh. "I work at the CCPD, I get paid, and I pay my bills, and I take care of you. All of the fun I have is beating up metahumans, hanging out with Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco, and going to the bar every now and then." Brady made a face and she laughed again. "What did _you_ want to do today, bud?"

Brady's nose wrinkled as it always did when he thought hard. That was certainly something he got from his father as Cadence's forehead wrinkled when she was thinking hard. That was the first thing that had attracted her to Ryder Moseley, honestly. While they weren't together and were never going to be together again, she made a mental note to speak with him about him seeing Brady more. It was a conversation long overdue and if he wanted to make up for the last eight years they had to start somewhere.

"Mom, did you hear me?" Cadence snapped back to attention and found Brady watching her carefully. "You didn't hear me."

"Sorry, bud," Cadence apologized. She ruffled his hair. "What were you saying?"

"I want to go to the park," Brady repeated himself. "We haven't gone to the park in a long time."

"Okay, we can go to the park after we get something to eat. I already made plans to meet up with the others at Jitters for some breakfast." Cadence watched as Brady's eyes lit up. He always liked to hang out with her friends; though she was sure he liked to hang out with Barry in particular. Of all of the people she had been around via work or her own social life he hadn't connected with anyone as quickly as Barry Allen.

Then again, neither had she.

Being pregnant and a teen mom at such a young age made her keep to herself for a long time. She didn't completely trust the babysitters she had for Brady whenever she went out on dates the times she was asked—though she wasn't really in the position to turn down a date from anyone that asked, her loneliness getting to her at times. That had resulted in multiple dates she didn't want to remember.

Although when she met Barry she knew there was something different about him she hadn't seen in anyone else she met. He had a light about him that people searched for but he seemed to be born with. It nearly killed her to see how hurt and betrayed he was when he found out she was working for the Assassination Bureau and she knew he still didn't 100% trust her since then.

All of a sudden a peculiar sound hit the air before a foul smell reached her nose. Her hand flew to cover her face, immediately knowing the source of the sound and smell. "Brady!"

"Sorry," Brady apologized before collapsing into a fit of laughter. He laughed nearly as hard as he did the entire week he subjected her to the 'chicken butt' joke as well as to call her a 'butt head' every now and then because it tickled him so.

"As much as I'd rather smell that then smoke, that's not funny." Cadence stood up and swatted him on the butt before fanning the air in front of her face. "Go get dressed, were meeting them soon." She waited until Brady was out of the room before teleporting into the bathroom to get dressed herself.

After taking a few minutes to decide on a sundress and shorts for the day, she quickly hopped into the shower. Turning on the cold water she stepped into the spray, holding up her hand to manual heat the water flow. Cadence quickly soaped up and washed off. Then she wrapped herself in a towel and walked out to the bedroom to get dressed.

She started to unwrap her towel when there was a strong gust of wind and a streak of yellow light. "Hey Cade, did you want to—"

Cadence jumped and screamed.

Barry, who had come to a quick stop turned towards her, blushed, and turned to run. However in his haste he managed to run himself into the closet with so much force that the wind blew the door shut. With the prolonged silence Cadence could hear Barry say a quiet, almost meek, "Sorry."

Taking in a deep breath Cadence grabbed her clothes in her hand and turned to the door when she heard Brady knock on it. "Mom, are you okay?"

"Yeah, bud. I just thought I saw a spider."

"Okay."

Cadence teleported into the bathroom and quickly changed before hurrying over to the closet door. She opened it to find Barry sitting on the floor struggling to pull a tangled mess of hangers off of his head and arms.

"Are you okay, Barry?" She asked.

Barry pulled two hangers off his head and tossed them aside. "I'm fine. I mean, I came close to death by hanger…"

"Or embarrassment," Cadence added, eyebrows rising at his reddened cheeks.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I guess I should've knocked."

"It's alright, you just scared me." Cadence reached out and brushed away the rest of the hangers and grabbed his hands, helping him to his feet. "Normally I can guess when you'd drop by. But considering it's this early it's either a meta problem or something with work."

"No, actually it's more that Joe was starting to go on his cleaning binge while singing," Barry replied. "And if you get caught then you're stuck cleaning the house from head to toe. Iris and I have managed to sneak out or talk our way out of helping him so far but chances are he'll force us at some point."

"Oh, it's like that whole thing where the whole family has to pitch in or you can't watch TV kind of thing?" Cadence guessed.

"Yeah, but with a cop being the person that enforces it, it's one hundred times worse."

"Ah, well, you're early for breakfast." Cadence turned to pick up the envelopes to show him then paused, realizing she was still holding onto Barry's hand. He seemed to have noticed too for he quickly pulled his hand from her grasp and rubbed his neck. Cadence's eyebrows came together, suddenly realizing how quickly she missed the warmth of his palm against hers.

"Let me just pay off some of these bills and we can head out. Brady's in the living room playing a video game or—"she cut herself off, smiling as Barry hurried from the room. "—something." She sighed. "Boys and their toys."

Cadence quickly filled out the bills online then grabbed her phone from the bedside table. She fired off a quick text to Caitlin.

 **Cade:** Looks like I'm going to get to Jitters first. I'll get you your usual.

 **Caitlin:** Thanks. I owe you one. The next one's on me. Getting a bit of a slow start this morning.

 **Cade:** Making sure everything is 'just so'? :P

 **Caitlin:** That's not funny. There's nothing wrong with being organized and presentable.

 **Cade:** There is if you put it in your planner every day.

 **Caitlin: -_-,** ha ha.

Cadence chuckled to herself, putting her phone away. Sometimes it was hard to think how she and Caitlin became best friends as they were polar opposites. Cadence was bright and open and ready to jump into everything while Caitlin was more reserved, putting thought into her actions before she did them. While their personalities didn't match they at least had similar backgrounds—Caitlin's in bioengineering and Cadence's in medicine—and a motherly instinct to share.

"I'm ready to go," Brady said once Cadence came out of her room, spinning a soccer ball in his hands. He looked at her dress and tilted his head to the side. "How are you going to play soccer in that?"

"I have shorts on underneath, I can just tuck it in," she explained.

"The last time a girl in my class did that all of the boys were teasing her and saying they could see her underwear," Brady relayed the information from his third-grade class. "She got mad and told the teacher and they got into a lot of trouble."

"I hope you weren't one of the ones that teased her."

"Not me, Mom," Brady insisted. "The others."

"Good to hear."

"Are we going to drive or can we walk?" Brady asked, watching as Cadence reached for her car keys. "Why can't we just teleport?"

"Because we have to blend in, remember? We can't always teleport places or else people will start to be suspicious of how quickly we get somewhere."

Brady pouted and pointed over towards Barry, who quietly stood to the side watching the mother and son as they bickered. "But Barry runs everywhere."

"That's because Barry's always late so it wouldn't make a difference," Cadence shot back.

"Hey!" Barry held out his arms as if he had just been struck in the chest. "I'm working on it. I'm early to go to breakfast aren't I?"

"You were also early for something else to," Cadence added under her breath then started laughing when Barry pressed his lips together and turned away. "Fine, we can use our powers to get there." She waited for Barry to—no surprise to her—allow Brady to get onto his back in a piggyback ride before leaving the apartment. Cadence made sure the door was locked before teleporting as well.

Arriving at Jitters, Cadence followed Brady as the young boy hurried to the counter, greeting Iris West as he went. "Hi, Iris!" Brady waved to her.

"Hey Brady," Iris replied with a bright smile, hands on her hips. "What can I get for you today? Oh wait, I know." She pretended to think for a moment. "Your usual right? A chocolate muffin?"

"Yes, please," Brady replied eagerly. "With powdered sugar, too."

"You got it." Iris's eyes shifted to Cadence. "Hey Cade, how's it going? Your class yesterday still has me crying in pain every time I have to stretch to reach something."

Cadence smiled back. "If that's the case then you should probably stretch some more. Are you sure it was from me and not from Eddie?" She and Iris laughed as the young African-American woman moved to fill in her usual order. "I mean, he's got be good for something other than to look at, right?"

"Right," Iris agreed. "But I can assure you it was from your class. I don't know many people that have done a rapid fire Latin routine like you do. It really kicked my butt. I was so tired I was almost late for my shift today." She placed the two drinks and two muffins on the counter. "There you go; a chocolate muffin, a blueberry muffin, a hot chocolate, an iced mocha, a cappuccino, and a Mocha Frappuccino ."

"Thanks."

Brady tilted his head to the side and studied the drinks before looking up at his mother. "If you don't like coffee then why do you drink hot chocolate so much?" He asked her.

"Because I used it to warm up my cold, black, heart," she replied, leaning towards him with each word.

Brady let in a fake gasp, eyes widening as he leaned back into her. "I knew it," he whispered.

Cadence laughed paid for everything and the two carried it back to the small table sitting near the front of the coffee shop where Barry was reading the newspaper. She and Brady had just sat down when Cisco and Caitlin arrived. "Hey guys," she greeted her friends. "Here." She handed the iced mocha out to Caitlin, who batted Cisco's hand away from it and accepted the drink, sitting down.

"You didn't buy any food for us?" Cisco asked, mouth dropping indignantly. "I see how it is. I share my Twizzlers with you and you don't spread the wealth."

"If anything, she probably steals them," Barry said, giving Cadence a pointed look. She gave a sheepish smile in reply. "Like you're constantly stealing my Big Belly Burger.

"Yeah, but Big Belly Burger is good," Brady piped up, chewing a piece of his muffin. "Coffee is disgusting." His nose screwed up and he pushed his muffin over towards Cadence. "It's not warm enough," he reported. Cadence held out her hand and pressed her palm atop the muffin, warming it up so that he could eat it. He smiled and brought it back, eagerly taking another bite.

Taking a cue from him, Cadence lifted her lukewarm hot chocolate to her lips and blew on it with her fire breath. Immediately steam rose up in her face and she smiled, pressing her palms against the now warm mug it sat in.

"If you ever want me to buy you something I'd be glad for you to buy me one first," she added.

"I think I'm good buying my own, okay? I see what time it is," Cisco said, holding up his hands as he backed away from the table.

Brady frowned and looked down at his cell phone reporting, "Its 10:30," to Cisco. He frowned as Caitlin, Cadence, and Barry started to laugh. He looked back and forth between the three. "What? What's so funny?" He dropped it once he became invested with his muffin once more.

"Anyway, because you and Barry are metas you've got this super special relationship that puts you two against us normal people."

Cadence could felt her body temperature immediately increase at a rapid pace that she knew she was blushing. Thankfully her hair covered her cheeks enough so that it wasn't completely visible. She just hoped that there was a small amount of steam hovering over her head. She found that to be a possibility, thankfully, when in the ladies room with a mirror for proof.

But as no strange gazes were turning her way, she knew she was safe on that point. Still, she wasn't one that became embarrassed or blushed easily and yet Cisco's comment made her do that. She couldn't help but be taken aback by how bluntly he said it.

She and Barry were really close friends and she could certainly agree they had good chemistry and that she thought he was very cute. Otherwise she didn't put too much thought into it, not wanting to get her hopes up too high. It was hard to date being a single mom but Barry didn't even bat an eye when that came to light and had very quickly become Brady's friend. And they worked well together when fighting metas and they worked well together at work and…

 _If being seen naked twice counts as a special relationship, then sure,_ Cadence thought. She looked at Barry out of the corner of her e and saw he was doing his best not to catch her gaze lest he'd get stuck stammering.

"It's not our fault being a metahuman is really cool," Brady defended himself. As he spoke he entertained himself by phasing his hand in and out of Cisco's drink. He laughed when Cisco made a face and pulled it out of the way.

"I wonder if phasing transfers germs like sticking a finger in your drink does," Caitlin remarked.

Cisco's lips pulled back into a bright grin. "I smell a new experiment!"

"And you wonder why I don't want to hang out with you," Cadence commented.

"Hey!"

Caitlin smiled. "So what are you guys doing today? Enough paperwork to make your head spin?"

"Day off," Cadence explained. "I think Detective West and Captain Singh were starting to worry about how much time I was putting at the office doing autopsies." One thing she could say about her medical examiner job with the CCPD was that it certainly didn't get boring. And to think she used to be worried about getting another job after being kicked out of residency a couple of months before.

And being able to see Barry more was a plus.

"I really think you should put some more practice in," Caitlin said. "You guys would progress faster and might be able to unlock more abilities if you do." She looked at Cisco out of the corner of her eye before focusing on her iced mocha.

"What, did you put a bet on it or something?" Barry asked. Caitlin tilted her head and Cisco looked towards the ceiling. "You did, didn't you?"

"Mm, not in so many words," Caitlin defended herself.

"Yeah, just in 20 bucks," Cisco piped up. He shrugged as Barry shook his head, taking a sip of his coffee. "Twenty bucks is twenty bucks, it's more than I had before. Besides, I bet on Cade."

Barry nearly spit out his sip of coffee as he turned to his best friend with wide eyes. "Cisco!" Barry cried as Cadence grinned.

"Sorry, man, but you saw how she was working it last night. She's stronger than you and at the moment I don't see you finding a way to stop your wandering eyes. "

" _I_ have faith in you Barry," Caitlin added pointedly, loudly. "That's why I'm betting on you. No one can touch you if you can move faster than them and you're getting faster every day. You and your speed are really improving."

"Yes, well, as much as I'd like to take Barry down again, I can't," Cadence said. She nodded over to Brady who seemed to be ignoring the adults that were with him as he continued to practice phasing. "We're going to spend the day at the park today. Trust me when I say that actual fresh air and not just the recycled stuff from STAR Labs and the hospital is an underrated commodity."

"I can vouch for that," Caitlin agreed. Her hair fell over her face as she shook her head. "When I was doing my studies I was in the labs so much that I constantly smelled like the chemicals. I had to buy an entirely new wardrobe because I couldn't get the smell off me."

"You mean your clothes were even more uptight and conservative then than they are now?" Cisco teased. "That's a shock."

"I'm not uptight," Caitlin said defensively, though it fell on deaf ears as the others laughed at her. "Guys, come on, I'm not."

"I'm on call at the CCPD in case anything comes in they need my help with," Barry said. "But I have the day off today, too." He looked at Caitlin over the top of his mug, eyebrows coming together and slowly lowered his drink once more. Cadence looked over and made a face noticing Caitlin was giving him a pointed look. "What?" Barry asked slowly.

"You just so happen to have the day off today?" She asked.

"What? No. I _really_ have the day off. Call Joe and ask," Barry insisted.

Brady perked up and grabbed Cadence's arm, tugging on it. "Do you want come with us to the park? Can he play Soccer with us?"

"No," Cadence replied. She twisted in her seat to grab both of his arms. "You can't ask him to come with us."

"Why not?"

"Because he might have something else planned for today," Cadence explained, doing her best not to be affected by her son's pout.

"Right." Cisco laughed. "He's got a hot date with his computer and Netflix."

"Can't you just binge watch?" Caitlin asked.

Barry shrugged. "Yeah, but it doesn't stay in my short term memory for long," he explained.

"Ah."

"But I want to hang out with Barry," Brady insisted. "You get to hang out with him all the time."

Her son's statement made her smile in amusement.

"Sure, if you call getting beaten to a pulp by metahumans on a nearly daily basis, hanging out," Barry said.

Cadence could tell from the look in Brady's eyes that he wasn't going to give up the conversation topic anytime soon. _He just had to take on your stubbornness,_ Cadence thought, shaking her head.

"I really don't mind hanging out at the park," Barry said. Maybe a little too quickly. He cleared his throat. "I mean, what were you going to do?"

"Play soccer," Cadence and Brady replied in unison.

"Oh," Barry said, an expression of apprehension coming to his face.

Brady then twisted around to face Caitlin and Cisco. "You can come too."

"I don't think Caitlin can afford to get grass on any of her 'non-conservative' clothes. It's probably dry-clean only." Caitlin elbowed him in the side. Cisco laughed and leaned out of the way. "I haven't played in a long time, save for those disastrous Parks and Recs league my mom signed me up for."

"And we could use the fresh air away from STAR Labs," Caitlin agreed.

"Great! It's a date!" Cadence beamed.

.

..

...

Normally Cadence loved to play soccer, having been on the team when she was in high school, but this time was really pissing her off. And that wasn't good for anyone around her.

Her getting angry was bad enough, but when she became angrier—to the point it was enhanced by her powers—there were moments were she lost control. To the point that there were patches of singed grass throughout the park along with burnt branches sitting on the ground from the nearby trees.

And the only thing that ticked her off this badly was the fact that she was losing a simple game of soccer. Barry had surprised her with how lithe he managed to be on field which she guessed had to be because of his powers. Cisco had proven to be even more agile than he gave himself credit for and Caitlin, once she carefully took off her jacket and folded it before placing it on the ground, then carefully pinned her skirt between her legs, had played a good game as well.

It was supposed to be a fun game, not a legitimate match. But something inside her had snapped so that she took her losing a _bit_ too far.

At one point she had raced towards him to get the ball away and he had moved it away from his feet and over to Brady before she could even register what happened, resulting in her running directly into him resulting in her saying, "For someone so scrawny you have a really defined chest; I think I gave myself a concussion just running into you." before she could stop herself then found herself thinking about it too much for the rest of the game.

Now she was trying to keep from annoying herself further by allowing herself to dwell. "How'd you get to be good, anyway?" Cadence asked as Barry juggled the ball at his feet, alternatively passing it back and forth with Brady and Cisco.

Barry shrugged. "I guess all that running I did as a kid was good for something." He blinked and caught the ball in his hands. "Are you mad that you lost? Because you can trust me when I say this was just pure luck." He dropped the ball and kicked it over to Brady, who expertly juggled it up to his knees. "I don't even know if I can do it again."

"But it was a good start," Brady insisted. He rolled the ball up onto his foot.

"You caught on pretty quickly." Caitlin added.

"Yeah, I'm sure he cheated," Cadence muttered.

Barry heard her. "I haven't even cheated on a test in school," he said.

"Not even once?"

"I never needed to," Barry said. "The guilt would've killed me, my Mom and Dad would've killed me when they found out, and I liked to learn so…" He trailed off as Cadence laughed, reached out and shoved him on the shoulder.

"You're such a dork," she said with a smile.

"I try." Barry smiled back.

Then the three watched Brady dribble the soccer ball by Cisco, who was standing in as a goalie, and took a shot on goal. "He seems to be having fun."

"That's what I hope for every day," Cadence replied, watching him as well. Then she turned her gaze to Barry and found herself staring him a bit too long when Caitlin gently nudged her arm. Cadence sucked in a breath and said, "But thanks for taking time out of your day off to hang out. He doesn't really have a lot of friends to hang out with."

Caitlin reached out and looped her arm through Cadence's. "It's no problem at all, we're glad to do it," She reassured her.

"He's a cool kid to hang out with. And I'm sure you could use the help every now and then," Barry agreed. He held up his hands and tried to correct himself, "I didn't mean to imply…what I meant was…okay, you're—"

"I get it, Barry," Cadence interrupted, letting him off the hook. "People have a tendency to think that I'm a damsel in distress." Cadence chuckled and looked down at her choice of attire for that day. "Though in this case I'm a damsel in _this_ dress." She laughed at her own joke and Barry smiled.

"Good one," he noted. "The dress and the…the joke." He looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him up.

"Wait until I'm off shift, then I'm the life of the party," Cadence said with a wave of her hand. "But seriously, thanks."

She turned back to the game just as Brady kicked the ball hard to try and score another goal. Cisco leapt high into the air to block it and managed to do so with a solid punch, causing the ball to go flying off to the side. His eyes widened when he saw the ball careening towards a blonde woman walking along a nearby path.

Cisco cupped his hands around his mouth and frantically called, "head's up!" at the same time Caitlin called her own warning of, "look out!"

Before thinking Barry turned on his heel and raced over to the young woman, moving her out of the way while sticking out his hand and grabbed the soccer ball with the other. "Are you okay?" He asked her. "Sorry about that, the ball just got away from us."

"Yeah, I'm fine I think," the woman replied. "You move pretty fast, you must have good reflexes."

"Yeah, I guess." Barry took a step back and got a good look at the woman, his eyebrows rising, head slightly lolling to the side. "Becky?"

Becky Cooper smiled back at him. "Hi, Barry."

* * *

 **A/N:** As you can see part of this chapter was the same as the last time but other things were greatly changed. As I said before the plot of this story is different than what I was doing last time. I have a more clear plot in mind, that being said this isn't the normal 'an ex comes back and causes trouble' plot. At least I hope it doesn't end up that way.

Let me know what you think or any suggestions you have.

 **-Riles**


	3. Chapter 3

**.:3:.**

* * *

"Becky Cooper?" Iris's nose wrinkled. She leaned forward to place a plate on the dining room table, doing a double take when she realized she was about to drop it on the floor. " _The_ Becky Cooper?"

Barry, who was on the other side of table setting up the silverware, gave her a funny look. "Since when does her name have a 'the' in front of it?" he demanded.

"Since she's the only girl you dated in high school," Iris pointed out.

"It's not a big deal," Barry said. He looked up as Joe West walked into the dining room with oven mitts covering his hands to protect him from the steaming glass pan in his hands. "Joe, do you think it's weird that I ran into Becky Cooper today?"

Joe put down the glass dish and looked at Barry. Then he looked at Iris and looked back at Barry. " _The_ Becky Cooper?" Barry rolled his eyes. "The one you dated in high school?" Iris smiled smugly and motioned towards her father as he corroborated her statement. "The one that broke your heart when you stopped dating."

"Okay, she did _not_ break my heart," Barry defended himself. He cleared his throat then crossed his arms. "But she _did_ break my CD collection when she threw it at my head." He leaned out of the way as Iris hurried around to his side of the table and pushed his bangs back. "Ow! What are you doing?"

"I want to see if you still have the scar," Iris said. She continued to reach towards Barry's head but he ducked and leaned out of her way. Finally, she gave up and backed away as Barry moved to the other side of the table for protection. "Who knew CDs were so sharp?"

"Who knew Barry's reflexes were that bad?" Joe added, starting to grin. He lost it when Iris laughed and Barry ran his hands through his hair before resting them on his head.

"Are you done embarrassing me?" Barry asked.

"Oh, Barry. We could never be done embarrassing you."

Joe and Iris laughed again.

Barry ignored them. "Anyway, I don't think it's that weird that she's back in Central City. She grew up here like we did. Except she was the only one with enough sense to stay away." He laughed a little bit.

"Okay. But that's the question of the day," Iris pointed out. She rested her finger on her chin and turned her gaze towards the ceiling as she thought. Barry smiled, immediately recognizing it as her 'investigator' face. "Why would she decide to come back all of a sudden? Now offense, Barry, but I don't think it would be to see you."

"I don't know, honestly. I was just as surprised to see her as she was to see me. We talked a little bit and she said she was back here to see some of her family before she went off to work again."

"And what's she doing?"

"She's a pharmacist."

Iris nodded and finished setting the table. "Well, it's good that she's found something she really likes doing." She sat down in her seat and draped her napkin across her lap. Then she noticed the silence around her and looked up to see Barry and Joe both staring at her with amused expressions on their faces. "What?"

Joe took his time filling his plate with their dinner that night—steak, beans, and a salad—before pointing at her with his fork. "It's just really funny that you're being very…supportive of her."

"Why's that funny?"

Now Barry smirked. "Because you never liked her, Iris."

She shook her head. "That's not true. I liked her as a person. I just didn't like her with you." Joe and Barry exchanged a glance. Iris rolled her eyes. "Seriously. I thought she wasn't right for you. I'm surprised you managed to go out for so long."

"Off and on for two years isn't that long if you think about it," Barry pointed out. "Especially since we were 'off' more than when we were 'on'. And I never knew what you didn't like about her. She was nice to you."

"That was the part that bothered her," Joe joked. Iris stuck her tongue out at her father as the front door to the house opened and Eddie came flying inside. "Hey Eddie," he greeted, causing his partner to freeze mid-stride. "You're dating my daughter, at some point we're going to have to get over it and at least be civil with each other. I invited you to dinner didn't?"

"Yeah…" Eddie lowered himself into his seat, loosening his tie as he did so. Despite Iris smiling over at him and giving him a kiss on the cheek he still seemed ready to bolt out of his chair when the time came for it.

"We were just talking about Barry running into his ex-girlfriend today," Iris piped up, effectively changing the conversation topic away from her boyfriend lest he became a nervous wreck. Barry dropped his fork to his plate and gave her a look that said, 'for real?'. "So, Barry, do you think she'll ask you out?"

Now his eyebrows rose. He hadn't thought about that. Why would he? He hadn't thought about Becky in a _long_ time. Did he blame her for that? Absolutely not. He blamed himself for it, really. Their relationship had been rocky; she was the first girl he really allowed himself to open up to after his mother's death other than Iris. And she didn't care he was still haunted by his past and tried to help him as much as she could. But he was still haunted by it and no matter how well things were going between them there was a point where he would block himself off and immerse himself in his schoolwork while ignoring her.

Then he'd apologize and it'd start all over again. Becky had given him a lot of chances but the last time he took advantage of it and they broke up for the last time had been when she was so angry she threw things at him. Next thing he knew it was time for graduation. Barry apologized to her and she had forgiven him and they hadn't spoken since.

"Why would she ask me out?" Barry asked.

"It's common place for exes when they see each other again," Eddie piped up as Iris nodded. "I don't mean it has to be a romantic thing. But a way for you two to catch up, to see how things have changed over the years…"

 _Oh yeah, things definitely have changed,_ Barry thought, his mind immediately going towards his powers. Instead, he shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I don't even know how long she'll be here in Central City, just that she's visiting her family."

"Oh. Is she cute?"

Barry smiled and Joe slapped his hand over his face as Iris turned her rapt attention to her boyfriend. It might've been an innocent question but no matter how Eddie meant it, by his luck it wasn't going to come out that way.

"Does it matter?" Iris asked pointedly.

"I was just wondering. I mean, to know how Barry felt about her. I mean, to see if he had a type or anything like that. He doesn't really talk about dating a lot." He turned to Barry with wide eyes, silently pleading for help. "You don't really talk about dating a lot."

To diffuse the situation Barry shrugged. "I haven't really met anyone…" he trailed off, starting to smile.

That wasn't entirely true.

"Look, you're smiling," Iris pointed out. "What're you thinking about?"

"Nothing in particular. But Cisco and I were supposed to hang out tonight, so…" he made a show of shoving a forkful of food into his mouth. Thankfully that changed the subject once more and the conversation topic of him and his non-existent love life shifted to the cases Joe and Eddie dealt with that day.

Once finished with dinner and heading out to Cisco's apartment, Barry was stopped by his phone ringing. Glancing at the phone, he paused when he realized he didn't recognize the number, and answered. "Hello?"

"Is this Barry Allen?"

"Speaking."

"Oh! Barry, it's me, Becky"

 _Becky?_ Barry's eyebrows came together and he looked over his shoulder as if to find a microphone hovering over his head. What a strange coincidence. "Hey, Becky." He paused, unsure of what to say. He had just seen her that morning. "What's up?"

"Well, we didn't have a lot of time to talk this morning. I was thinking maybe we could get some breakfast tomorrow or maybe some lunch and catch up," Becky said, her voice as cheerful as ever. She clearly held no animosity towards him. "If you have the time. If not, I understand."

"Uh, well…" Barry thought for a minute. There was no harm in meeting up with her. It wasn't as if he still had feelings for her and it would be nice to see how things had been since graduation. And it was good to have some friends outside of what he was doing with STAR Labs. "You know what, that sounds like a good idea."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but it's going to have to be fast." His eyes shone with lightning.

* * *

The next day Barry lifted a pair of goggles off his face and rubbed his eyes. Then he glanced at the machine that sat in front of him, waiting for the chemical mixtures to be finalized and bring the results back to Captain Singh.

How was he able to deal with it every day before he got his powers? Most of the time he needed to something quickly he would just use his powers, finish out his day, and head out to STAR Labs for whatever training was needed.

This time around, he had to do his work while at STAR Labs just in case Captain Singh called for him. It wasn't his fault there was a small-time metahuman he had to stop in the middle of the day. He _had_ to leave and help out. But it had been finished fairly quickly and he needed to buy some time before going back. What was a better way to do that than use the equipment at STAR Labs and hang out with his friends as he did so?

It helped that STAR Labs and the CCPD were basically working with each other—despite Captain Singh's initial hesitance—most excuses to leave the precinct were simply his telling the truth. What he had to do with the Flash? That was another subject matter entirely.

"Hey, man." Barry looked up as Cisco walked into the Cortex, digging into a box of Chinese food with chopsticks. "How's the work going?"

"Slow," Barry replied. "But these machines can only go so fast."

Cisco looked him with an offended expression. "We can't all be fast, Barry."

"Ain't that the truth. I just hope it's done in enough time so I can get back before he realizes how long I've been gone."

"So just take your lunch break."

Now Barry sighed heavily, his palms starting to sweat for some reason. "I can't, I'm meeting someone for lunch and I don't want to be late for that." He bobbed his head. "Well, actually, she knows I can be late so maybe it's a good thing."

Cisco's eyes immediately lit up at the mention of 'she'. "Who? Oh, is it that Becky girl we saw at the park yesterday? It is isn't it? Okay, I can see that. Personally, I think she's a little out of your league but I can see it."

"And she's right in your league, right?"

"You said it, not me."

A laugh escaped Barry's lips. Then he shook his head, now fiddling with the goggles in his hands. "It's not like that. We used to date and now we're just going to catch up before she leaves Central City again. It's nothing." He cleared his throat. "Aren't you supposed to be working?"

"Lunch break," Cisco said. "Dr. Wells said he would take care of watching over the city. Or whatever it is he's doing in his office."

"He's taking his lunch break too," Caitlin announced her arrival, holding onto a carton of Chinese food as well. "But if anything goes on we'll know." She looked back and forth from Cisco to Barry. "I couldn't help but overhear, you said you were going to be going out to lunch with your ex?"

"Oh come on, it's not that weird," Barry defended himself. He paused. "Is it? I mean, you guys have gone out to see how things are going with your exes right?"

Caitlin's lips turned to the side. She then busied herself with her food. "I mean, _hypothetically_ I guess it wouldn't be so weird. It's not like you still have any feelings for her or anything, right?"

"Right, yeah, what Caitlin said," Cisco agreed.

Barry started to laugh then cut himself off. He calmed down and managed to ask, "You don't have exes do you?" Then he realized his mistake and turned to Caitlin with an apologetic look. "I mean, other than Ronnie."

Caitlin shook her head. "I didn't date anyone before Ronnie. I was too busy with my studies."

"Yeah and I was just too much for a lot of women," Cisco added.

"Yeah, okay." Barry ran a hand through his hair.

"Why don't you ask Cade? Now that Ryder's here in Central City she has to talk to him _sometime_ ," Caitlin pointed out.

For some reason this made Barry pause. Then he made a face, tilting his head to the side. "I don't know…" he said slowly. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

It wasn't that he didn't like Ryder, Brady's father and Cadence's ex-boyfriend, he just didn't know him. And it was hard to have someone who was so close to the group not know his secret. Sort of the way he was with Iris. But different, too. He and Iris had started to drift apart over the last year as he had gained his powers, but Ryder continued to get closer and closer because of his familiar relationship with Brady and Cadence.

"Because you have the hots for Cade?" Cisco broke in, startling Barry. "Pun intended."

Barry blinked in surprise before he crossed his arms. His head raced with a million thoughts as he tried to figure out what to say. Then he became embarrassed when he realized he was stuck in the same predicament as last night. His mouth wasn't working. He opened and closed his mouth over and over again as he tried to formulate a response. Instead a smiling image of his friend popped into his head and his brain shut down.

Finally, he managed the very lame sounding, "Whaaat?" holding out the word a bit longer than he originally intended.

"Oh come on," Cisco continued. "I know it. Caitlin knows it." Caitlin nodded in agreement. "I'm not sure Harrison really knows it. And I think Brady knows. It's obvious. You look at her the way you used to look at Iris, the only difference being that you're completely open with Cade."

This time, Barry decided to go on the defensive. "What would you know? You haven't had a date in, I don't know, five years?"

Caitlin laughed as Cisco held up a finger. "Oh, no. Oh, no my friend. We're not talking about me right now. We're talking about you. But that was very clever to try and change the subject like that. And for your information I have a few prospects lined up that are very high on the list of girls that I could only dream of."

Barry turned to Caitlin, silently pleading for some help. She shrugged sheepishly. "I kind of agree with him," she said.

"We just don't want anyone to get hurt," Cisco said honestly. "Besides, I totally ship you and Cade together."

"Ship?" Barry repeated.

"It's—"Cisco cut himself off. "You know what? Never mind. You need to learn more about pop culture. I'm going to set up a crash course for you. Instead of sticking your head in all of those science textbooks and memoirs, you're going to watch the entire series of _Keeping up with the Kardashians_ with me."

Barry's upper lip curled. "I think I would prefer to watch _My Big Fat Greek Wedding_ with Iris again," he said. "And this was when she loved it so much that she watched it every day for a year."

"It's got to be better than _Wrath of Khan_ ," Caitlin pointed out. She jerked in surprise as Cisco let out al loud gasp, covering his open mouth with one hand and pointing at Caitlin with the other.

"It's official; I'm not friends with you!" Cisco declared. "Don't be dissing one of the best movies of all time. It's a classic, never gets old." He reached over and slapped Barry on the chest. "We just watched it for the fifth time last night."

"And you _still_ haven't gotten bored of it?"

"You get bored of a lot of things, Cait, but not _Wrath of Khan."_ Cisco coughed and waved a hand in front of his face as smoke filled the room and Cadence teleported next to them. "Like that. That gets tiring very easily."

"Do you think I haven't tried everything in my power to _not_ become a smoke bomb when I teleport?" Cadence asked, pulling her hair back from her face. She rolled her eyes. "It's one of the reasons I prefer to use my car to get around. Either that or I set off a bunch of smoke alarms."

"Or it just means you're hot," Cisco pointed out.

Barry tried to stop his knee-jerk reaction of frowning but failed, causing Cisco's smile to widen.

"Surprisingly that's not the first time I've heard that," Cadence said with a wave of her hand. Caitlin held out her box of Chinese and Cadence took a bite of it.

"What are you doing here?" Caitlin asked.

"Ah, I got tired of trying to dodge Captain Singh's questions as to where Barry was. Plus I can only look at a dead body for so long." Despite the dark humor, Barry laughed. Then he got a good look at her face and noticed she suddenly looked very annoyed. Much different than the upbeat and teasing personality she normally exhibited. One that made his days working at the CCPD go by faster. "Plus, I had something that I wanted to ask you guys. And it's perfectly fine if you say 'no'. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if you did."

"What's going on?" Barry asked.

"Nothing too important. But my mom called earlier saying my dad's company is having this sort of celebration thing for having been open for about 25 years or so. And they really want me to be there." She looked at each of her friends before her gaze rested on Barry, a slight smile came to her lips.

"So, do you want to come to Metropolis with me?"

* * *

 **A/N:** I wonder what'll happen with Team Flash being in Metropolis rather than Central City? I mean, _I_ know but I wonder what you guys think will happen. Or want to happen. ;)

So as you can see this is a story that I don't want to focus on their powers as much though they're still a part of the plot.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	4. Chapter 4

**.:4:.**

* * *

Cadence pulled her hair back over her shoulders and placed her fingers on the piano keys that sat in front of her. Then she shifted to make sure the piano bench was in just the position she liked it not too close to the instrument, but not too far away to reach the keys.

Glancing up at the pages that sat in front of her, Cadence started on the classical melody that effortlessly flowed through the room. She focused on the keys on the piano and the pedals under the instrument. Her gaze shifted back and forth from the keys to the sheet music. Beside her, Harrison leaned back in his wheelchair. Eyes closed, he bobbed his head as the notes twisted and twirled, filling up the space of Harrison's large house. The notes reverberated back to them against the high ceilings.

Cadence ran her fingers up and down the keys until the end of the song and brought her hands back to her lap. She turned her attention to Harrison. He opened his eyes and was silent for a brief moment before saying, "You rushed the second half of the song."

Cadence rolled her eyes. "Of course that'd be the first thing you have to say about it. As far as I remember that's always the first thing you point out."

"Because the point of playing the piano is that you give each note the proper attention it deserves," Harrison pointed out with a small smile. "Other than that, it was as good as you typically make it."

"Thanks, Harrison, that really helps."

At Harrison's smile, Cadence knew he recognized her sarcasm when he heard it. As a matter of fact, when she was very young and her parents—Kent and Maya—had mentioned they wanted to get their young daughter to play an instrument, Harrison had jumped at the chance to teach her how to play the piano. Once a week for an hour she would go over to his house to marvel at the grand piano he had before learning how to play her scales, then onto nursery rhymes, her own favorite songs, and those of classical composers until she was nearly as good as he was.

That was all before she knew he was her birth father.

"You're welcome, Cadence," Harrison remarked. He backed away from the piano and moved to the living room. Cadence got up from the piano bench and followed him. "What I meant was—"

"I knew what you meant, Harrison," Cadence interrupted. "I was just thinking that at some point there was something else you could say about my playing. I'm not as good as you but I _did_ come over to give you some company. I think I deserve to have _something_ nice said about it."

Harrison chuckled and picked up a bottle of whiskey and poured it into two glasses. He handed one to Cadence before taking his and took a small sip. "Your piano playing is astounding and you're certainly giving me a run for my money considering I cannot play as I used to." He nodded towards her. "But as for what you've mentioned…I'll admit I do get pretty lonely at times."

"Which is why I'm wondering if you want to come to Metropolis with us?" Cadence sat down on the leather couch. She started to slide her feet up onto the cushion then froze and brought them down to the floor once more. It was still so engrained in her head that she couldn't treat expensive furniture badly.

Harrison hesitated, placing his glass on the coffee table. He rested his hands in his lap. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea. You haven't truly spoken to your parents in a long time and neither have I."

"All the more reason for you to go," Cadence remarked. "So it can take some of the attention off me." She ran a hand through her hair. "Not that we need to worry, Brady's going to get all of the attention anyway."

"I seem to remember there was a time where you enjoyed receiving their attention," Harrison reminded her.

"That was before I realized how they can be."

Harrison pressed his lips together and let out a long breath through his nose. He had his own problems with the two that had been his best friends at one point. Maybe it was hard for him to come to terms with it as well. "Have you spoken with your mother and father since you've gotten back from Metropolis?" He finally asked.

"No. Not really." Cadence rested her cheek in her upraised palm, using her other hand to gently tap at the piano keys. "I haven't really planned on it."

"So you haven't mentioned my involvement in your life?"

"Not really." Cadence wasn't sure what to say about it anyway. Just call up her parents and say 'by the way, I've been hanging out with my birth father this whole time despite the fact it was a semi-closed adoption'. Cool beans. That'd be the kind of situation that Hallmark needed to make a card for. _Condolences for meeting my birth father and not telling you._

Harrison finished off his glass of whiskey while Cadence finished hers half way. He then reached up and took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes. "I'm sure that's not the conversation you're trying to have. But I'm not going to pry."

"Because you don't deal with emotions, you just deal with science?"

"No, because I'm not sure if, at this point, we're close enough to speak about it," Harrison said honestly. Cadence nodded. She _had_ only just learned of her true parentage and they were still learning how to act around each other as father and daughter let alone co-workers. Despite the certain boundaries that were difficult to break through. "And as you know, I'm a private man and I'm sure one of the things you'd want to talk about is something that I would rather not bring up."

"I guess you're right," Cadence agreed. She looked at her watch and stood up. "So are you coming to Metropolis or not?"

"I'll think about it. Is there anything else you want to know?" Harrison leaned over and held out his arm

Cadence grabbed it and slung it over her shoulder before hefting Harrison up out of his seat, half dragging him to his couch. "Yes. What were you like when you were younger?"

"How much younger?"

"About three decades," she replied.

Harrison chuckled and lifted his arms, allowing Cadence to drape a blanket across his lap. "I'm not _that_ old."

Cadence walked into the sprawling kitchen and let out a low breath, twisting her mouth to the side as she looked at all of the cabinets. Why Harrison decided to continue living in a house so big when he couldn't completely navigate it, she wasn't entirely sure. As a matter of fact she tried talking him into moving into a smaller place that had more amenities for him but he politely yet firmly refused. _I certainly got my stubbornness from him._ Cadence started to open and close doors in the cabinets, searching for his medicine.

Finally finding it, she flipped the top open and dumped a few pills into her hand. Then she found a glass, filled it up with water, and walked it back into the living room, holding it out to Harrison. Cadence laughed when he popped the pills into his mouth and made a face before he could chase it down with water.

"That's the same face Brady makes whenever I have to force medicine into him," she remarked. "You'd think at your age you would be used to it. It's not going to get easier by the time you're in your retirement home."

"That's not for another twenty years at the most," Harrison joked. He handed the glass back to her. "But I've never liked the taste of these things. You'd think with the advancements in technology they'd find a way to make medicine taste a little pleasant."

"Then people would be overdosing," Cadence pointed out.

"Yes, well, with my condition I don't suppose overdosing on anything would be so bad." He glanced down at his lifeless legs before his blue eyes lit up with mirth. "I believe I could dare Cisco to make something and he'd be able to come up with it within a matter of days."

"As soon as you put the words 'bet you can't' anywhere in a sentence and Cisco will have a vendetta against you. Just to specifically prove you wrong." Cadence looked at her watch once more and found it was time for her to leave. She took the glass back into the kitchen and rinsed it out before going back into the living room to say goodbye to Harrison.

Cadence laughed again, this time quietly, finding he was already starting to nod off.

She made sure his blanket was tucked around his legs once more before leaving.

Visiting Harrison had been a good break from having to think about seeing her parents again, but it was time to get back to the real world.

* * *

Barry set his menu aside and looked at the condiments that sat on the table in front of him. He reached out and started to rapidly shift them around, as if doing a magic trick with cups and a ball. Around and around they went, his eyes moving as fast as his hands to watch them as they moved around.

"Wow, if I knew you were going to be bored I would've gotten here sooner," Becky said as she came over to the table. Barry immediately halted his movements, suddenly realizing that he may have just revealed his secret. A rush of fear moved over his body as he watched Becky sit across from him. "How'd you do that so fast?"

"Practice," Barry explained. He gave a small smile. "You spend enough time in Iron Heights, waiting to see people and you'll learn how to do some things quickly." Becky gave him a sympathetic look and he took in a quick breath. "I'm okay," he said. "I've made peace with it."

At least the best he could. He shouldn't have brought it up in the first place. Shouldn't have showed off his powers like that. It was stupid, really. He had no idea what came over him. _Stop being so hard on yourself, it's not like anyone could even see you,_ he reminded himself.

"Still, we were all really shocked when we heard," Becky said slowly. She picked up a menu and started to look through it. "But I'm glad things are going so well for you right now. Your job and everything…that's going okay?"

"Yeah, I love my job at the CCPD," Barry said. He smiled a little as he always did when he spoke about his life's work. Even if he hadn't gotten into it because of his mother's death a field in the sciences was something he certainly was going to fall into. (Though at first it was to be an astronaut). "Every day there's something new and it's never boring."

Becky's nose wrinkled for a moment. "So…how often do you have to work with dead bodies?"

Barry laughed. That was something he was asked a lot when speaking about his job. "Not as much as the medical examiner does. Basically my job is to look at suspicious cases and find evidence to pass along to the detectives. I'm called on scene sometimes; it really depends on the case. Otherwise the Medical Examiner works with the bodies."

He continued to laugh at Becky's disgusted face. "I promise it's not as bad as it sounds."

"Right, but we're about to eat and it's all I can think about now."

"You were the one who brought it up."

"And now I'm really regretting it."

The two laughed again. Becky set her menu down and laced her fingers together. "I think I'll just get a—"

"—Lemonade with a lime?" Barry interrupted. "I already ordered it for you."

She blinked in confusion. "How'd you know that's what I wanted?"

"It's all you ever get, Becky. No matter where I took you the first thing you looked for was lemonade. And if they didn't have any you resorted to lemon-water." He shrugged and leaned back in his seat. It wasn't until then that he felt how awkward it was to sit here with someone he had dated for two years and hadn't spoken to since then.

"You remembered that?" Her eyes widened in pleasant surprise. A small smile tugged at her lips before it broke away to a brighter smile.

"I remember a lot of things, Becky. My job is to remember things." That was an easy way to downplay it. Otherwise, Iris and Joe might've been right. It might've been a mistake to meet up though it had been almost ten years since they'd seen each other. "So what's going on with you? I heard you were in Pharmaceuticals."

"I am!" Her eyes lit up as she nodded. "I actually got into the job on accident. I sort of fell into it. But I've moved up so many times. And it pays well," she added with a laugh. "That's the plus side. And I'm always traveling around even though I guess what I'd call home now is Gotham."

"How are things going over there?" Barry asked.

Becky pursed her lips before she responded, "Kind of strange," she said slowly. "There's this guy named the Joker who's always creating some sort of trouble. But we have Batman to keep things calm." She sat up straight. "I heard there's this guy called The Flash running around Central City. He sounds like a real hero."

Barry couldn't help but feel a swell of pride move through his body as it always did when someone talked up The Flash. "Yeah, there's been a lot going on here as well but The Flash and Flare are really keeping things safe around here."

"And you've never thought of moving away?"

"Central City is my home. Despite what's happened…I don't think I could ever leave it. Plus, my dad is still here and my friends are here…"

"Your girlfriend?"

Barry was so startled by the question that he knocked over the drink the waitress placed on the table. It shifted and started to fall to the ground but Barry used his speed to right it back onto the table without a drop hitting the floor. When everything moved back to its typical speed Becky didn't notice anything but a sudden gust of wind in her face.

"Whoa, what was that?" She asked.

"I think that AC must've turned on," Barry said quickly. He cleared his throat and sat up straight. Then he brought up his hand and rubbed his neck. "I-I don't have a girlfriend," he explained. Then he frowned. Why in the world was he acting so awkward around her; like he did when they first started going out? Otherwise he would've let that glass smash to the floor and now he was stuttering? He at least liked to think he had become more confident since then.

Becky's eyebrows rose, her hands up in the hair as she tried to pat the fly away strands back down. "None at all? I don't believe that, Barry. You've always been an amazing catch. Sometimes I even wonder why I let you go."

Barry smiled politely, a little unsure how to respond. "I don't have a girlfriend."

"Not even Iris?" At this Becky gave him a knowing smile. "Even I knew you've been into her nearly as long as you've known her, Barry. Actually, I don't think she even liked me, half the time." She chuckled, twirling some of her hair around her finger.

"Iris liked you just fine; she was just really protective of me since what happened with my mom and dad." Barry cleared his throat once more. As for the second part of what of what she had said, "I used to like Iris, a lot…but she has a boyfriend now and we're just great friends. I'm over that."

A twinkle came to Becky's eye as she looked at Barry curiously. "So no girlfriend at all?"

Barry pressed his lips together his thoughts immediately betraying him as they shifted towards Cadence. The girl who had been by his side the moment she announced her presence in Central City with a bright smile and friendly personality but who could be as much of a ruthless hero for the city as needed to be. And within the next few hours he was supposed to be going to Metropolis to aid her in being around her family for a while. As positive she was trying to be about it he could tell she was anxious.

Besides, maybe being away from Central City for a while could help move things along.

"It's complicated," he finally said. Which certainly was the best word for his relationship with the fire metahuman. Especially in terms of not wanting to overstep any boundaries. "What about you? Any boyfriends?"

Becky laughed at his final explanation. "I'm free as a bird. Traveling so much it's hard to have a steady relationship but it's not like I'm not looking." She started to say something else then looked at Barry strangely, her eyes moving down. Barry followed her gaze and saw his hand rapidly shaking, much like it had when he first found out about his powers.

A light gasp escaped Barry lips and he grabbed onto his hand, willing it to stop shaking. Finally, after a few seconds it stopped. He quickly got to his feet, noticing for a split second that Becky had done the same.

"I'm sorry, I have to go!" They blurted out at the same time.

Barry quickly threw some money down onto the table for their drinks while Becky hurried from the restaurant, zigzagging around the tables as she went. Barry hurried out after her, racing all the way to the West house. Once he arrived he went to the bathroom and stared at his reflection, watching and waiting to see anything out of the ordinary, to see any other exhibition of his powers.

Nothing.

It was if it never happened.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want us to stay at a hotel?" Caitlin asked as Cadence pulled on the steering wheel to turn into the neighborhood. "We don't want to put you out or anything."

Cadence snorted. "Trust me when I say there's no way you're putting anyone out. There's plenty of space for all of you."

Cisco, who sat in the backseat with Brady, leaned forward and placed his head between their seats. "Are you looking at these houses? It's twice the size of my mom's and dad's. And you've seen my parents' house, Cait!"

Cadence smiled for a moment then let out a long, anxious breath. She didn't really want to be going back to Metropolis but if there was going to be anyway to reconcile her relationship with her parents this was the best time to do it. There weren't many metahumans they couldn't go back to Central City to take care of within a few moments, she had some vacation time saved up from the CCPD, and if she had to suffer she was glad her friends were coming along.

"You haven't been back to see your family in a long time," Caitlin remarked. "What's making you so worried about it?"

Eyes narrowing, Cadence said, "I'm not sure how they're going to be. Are they going to be the parents that I knew before I got pregnant? Are they going to be the ones I had when I was still pregnant who berated me every step I took? Or…is knowing what I know how going to make them completely different?"

"You mean with your dad's brain tumor?" Caitlin asked.

Cadence nodded.

She felt a big lump form in her throat and blinked back tears that were threatening to come. That was always a hard topic of conversation. A big part of her loved her father; he wanted the best for her and she was very much a daddy's girl. It was also where her source of contempt came from. The constant pressure to be as perfect as possible to make sure she didn't ruin his image throughout Metropolis became harder and harder as time went on. Then finding out he had a brain tumor brought on by a head injury from when he was young made her feel guilty knowing she still felt some anger towards him.

"And that's partially why I thought it'd be a good idea to go back. It's a happy occasion for him; he's had his advertising business as long as I can remember. He and mom don't get to see Brady much. And I figured if you guys came along you'd at least tell me if _I'm_ the one that's crazy."

"You're crazy," Brady piped up from the back seat.

"Thanks bud, but I didn't ask for your opinion." She reached around her seat and started to pinch at Brady's legs, causing him to laugh and squirm away.

"I'm sure they're not _that_ bad," Caitlin reassured her. She went even further by pointing towards Cisco and saying, " _His_ parents are that bad. My _mom_ is bad. I think yours will be just fine."

That made Cadence a little curious. She had never met Cisco's or Caitlin's family and Barry's father was in jail. It was something that tied the four of them together in their friendship in a way; their strange family makeup.

"And any way, thank you for inviting us along."

"You're welcome, I'm glad you guys are coming." All of a sudden, Cadence felt a surge of excitement and she started to bounce up and down in her seat. "I can't wait for you to see where I grew up and the places I used to hang out and where I went to school and to the Daily Planet and to the basketball arena and the Superman Museum and Metropolis University." She paused to take a breath. "They have the best English and Journalism departments there. And there's LexCorp and Steelworks and maybe we can go over to Gotham one day, it's not too far."

Cadence then glanced over and suddenly pulled hard on the steering wheel, causing Brady to make a sound of surprise and Cisco to almost fall to floor of the car. "Sorry, I almost missed the driveway."

She carefully pulled up the winding drive, being careful to bypass the fountain that sat in the center once they reached the top. Her mother must've been waiting for their arrival for the front door opened almost as soon as Cadence turned off the car.

Maya Nash grinned with a mouth full of pearly whites as she waved to her daughter and grandson, carefully traversing the brick sidewalk in her high heels. "Hey Cadence."

"Hi, Mom," Cadence greeted as she got out from the car. Turning towards her mother she found she actually had missed her due to how long it had been since the last visit. There was a level of suspicion still within her but still she missed her.

"You made good time on the way up here," Maya commented. She smoothed out her silk blouse then opened her arms for Cadence to give her a hug, which was brief. "I thought you wouldn't show for another hour or so."

"There was something I had to take care of, first," Cadence replied, but didn't go any further than that. She didn't need to know about Harrison yet. "Oh, these are my friends Caitlin Snow and Cisco Ramon."

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Nash," Cisco said politely, shaking her hand.

"You have a very lovely home," Caitlin added.

"Well, thank you very much, Caitlin. We put a lot of work into it. I like to look into updating the design every few years." She motioned to the fountain in the driveway. "That was just put in a few months ago." She then looked at the group. "Weren't you supposed to be bringing another friend with you?"

Cadence, Cisco, and Caitlin all started to say something in unison but the sound of a car door closing and all turned to find Barry pulling a bag over his shoulder as if he had just gotten out of the back of the car. He pointed behind him as Brady emerged, walking slowly as he continued to look at his handheld game device.

"I was helping Brady get his things from the car," he explained. "Hi, I'm Barry Allen."

"I've heard a lot about all three of you and I'm glad you all wanted to come and help Kent celebrate this milestone." Maya smiled warmly and started to wave her hands. "Come in, come in! Don't stand outside all day."

Cadence reached out her hand and grabbed onto Brady's wrist to lead him inside lest he became so focused on his game he walked into a stone pillar. She dropped back to fall in step with Barry and asked out of the corner of her mouth, "Did you just get here?"

"Yeah and if it wasn't for your directions I would've missed it," Barry muttered back. As if to prove his point he lifted his shoe. Cadence looked down and found the sole of his shoe smoldering with a tiny flame and smoke coming out the heel. He stamped it on the ground to put the flame out.

Cadence reached out her hand and curled her fingers into a fist. The smoke and flames immediately disappeared from Barry's shoe, to which he gave his thanks.

"How was your lunch, Barry?" Brady asked, finally putting away his game.

"It was alright," he replied, sounding a little distracted. "It was good to catch up with an old friend." As the group stepped inside, his eyes widened, looking around the foyer. "Wow, this is a really nice house."

Brady grinned. "You haven't seen the pool yet." He turned and grasped Cadence around the waist, looking up at her with wide eyes. "Mom, can we get in the pool? Please? Please?"

"Your father is already on the deck getting the grill ready," Maya said helpfully. "I was going to suggest everyone eat outside but getting in the pool is a good idea, too."

"Yay!" Brady cheered, throwing his hands into the air. "Thanks Gramma!" He started towards the stairs then stopped, turning back to his friends. "Do you want to see my room? I have a lot of games."

"Can you show them the rooms they're going to stay in, too?" Cadence asked him. He nodded and headed up the stairs with Caitlin and Cisco following behind. Cadence watched him leave, holding her breath as she did so lest he managed to phase through the stairs with his powers still not under control.

 _The last thing I need is for mom and dad to find out about his powers before I can tell them,_ she thought. Rubbing her head, Cadence walked into the expansive den room and sat down on the couch, curling up into a ball as she did so. Then she brought a knee up and rested her arm against it, starting to chew on her nails. After the first bite, resulting in chips of nail polish in her mouth, she frowned and pulled her hand away. _Great. I just got these done, too._

Then she rubbed her forehead, realizing how screwed up her priorities were.

"Are you okay, Cade?"

Cadence flicked her hair from her face and looked at him with a half smile. "Do you go to a lot of bars, Barry?"

Thinking about it for a moment, Barry took a few steps closer to her, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "There were a few parties that I went to. And sometimes I went to the bar with my friends whenever we were trying to blow off steam after studying. But I didn't make a habit of it. Why?"

Cadence patted the spot on the couch next to her and he dropped down. "Because I could really use a drink right now but leaving as soon as we got here might be rude." She started to pick at her fingernails once more, taking off the dark blue nail polish even further. Barry said something to her and she blinked twice before shaking her head to clear the smoke that seemed to have suddenly slipped into her head. "Sorry?" She asked.

"I said, from what I've seen of your mom so far she really loves you. And I know a lot has happened in the past but it looks like she wants to try and change things. Maybe you should give her a chance."

Cadence glanced towards the ceiling. "Oh my mom hasn't fully shown herself yet. Just wait. Don't be surprised if she manages to embarrass you at least once." With a grin she reached out and poked him on the shoulder. "Not that it should be so hard, you get embarrassed very easily."

That was certainly one of the things she liked about him. Something that had him stand out from all of the other guys that tried to pretend they were the perfect specimen any girl would want. But above all, Barry was himself. He didn't pretend to be someone he wasn't. As Barry he was the nice, sweet, guy that would do anything for anyone who asked something of him and showed off his passion for his interests and hobbies in his everyday life. But when he was the Flash that was when he became more confident in himself and his abilities to help someone in ways that he couldn't do as well in his normal life. She liked that he always cared so much for everyone around him and was willing to drop everything for them.

But not as much as she liked how he could take her teasing him.

And the biggest pay-off of all was that he had agreed to come on the trip with them. Not only because her Flash family would be there but because if they were all going to go swimming she would at least be able to check him out in a swimsuit.

At least there was _some_ brightside over the whole trip.

* * *

 **A/N:** One thing I really enjoy about writing about Cadence compared to other OCs of mine that I've written is that she's really open in her personality as well as her feelings for another character (in terms of her POV). Usually I have it where my characters are a bit more closed off in that aspect so it's fun to be more forthcoming with it and see how it meshes with Barry's slightly more shy nature. Let me know what you guys think of the chapter.

There's plenty that's going on to happen with the group now in Metropolis. Any and all suggestions are welcome!

- **Riles**


	5. Chapter 5

**.:5:.**

* * *

"So how was your date with Becky?"

Barry paused mid-reach to the towel that sat on the back of the chair directly next to him. He stopped for only a second then went to grab it once more, bashing his fingers into the wood. He ignored the pain, his fingers already starting to heal, and turned back to Cisco with as confused expression as he could muster.

"It wasn't a date," he insisted. Did he say that too loud? It wasn't like he was trying to convince a lot of people it wasn't a date. It was just starting to get on his nerves how often other people seemed to be putting words in his mouth as of late.

Actually, he was starting to feel a little bit like Eddie, who seemed to put his foot in his mouth at every turn. No matter what Barry said about his non-date with Becky it seemed like everyone else was trying their best to read more into it. And it was starting to make his stomach twist into strange knots.

Cisco tied his hair back into a ponytail and turned to Barry, placing his hands on his hips. "So what do you call it when you got meet up with your ex-girlfriend?"

"Meeting up with a _friend_ ," Barry insisted. He draped his towel around his neck and examined his fingers, watching as the split skin smoothed back together. "Having lunch with a _friend._ I don't know why everyone's making it such a big deal."

"I don't think you've noticed it, Barry, but we tend to live vicariously through you," Cisco pointed out. He started to count off on his fingers. "You're the 'Fastest Man Alive', you're one of the smartest people I know, and somehow you seem to get a date with any girl that crosses your path. I don't know about you, but that sounds like an exciting life to me."

Barry gave him a look. "Then you'd think this was really boring because Becky and I just ate and talked. And about nothing in particular. Only about jobs and high school."

"So, the topic of her having a boyfriend didn't come up at all?"

"What? No, the topic never came up."

"So I have a chance then?"

Barry let out a patient sigh as he stood up. He placed his hand on his shoulder and gently shook it. "You always have a chance, Cisco. You just need to relax." He thought for a moment then lowered his voice. "Actually, there _is_ something weird that happened. We were just talking and all of a sudden my hand started to shake."

Cisco snorted. "You always start to shake whenever you're nervous. Actually, we were thinking of having an intervention of some sort, it really makes us worried sometimes."

Barry pressed his lips together then clasped his hands together, resting them against his lips. "I meant my hand started to shake like it did when I first got my powers. And I think she saw and she freaked out."

"And that's weird because…?" Cisco asked. He crossed his arms. "Honestly there are a lot of things you can use to explain it away rather than her jumping right to you being a meta, let alone The Flash." He briefly paused then nodded once. " _Again,_ we were planning on having a sort of intervention."

A heavy sigh escaped Barry's lips as he thought about it. Cisco didn't seem to be so worried and if _he_ wasn't worried then that was a good thing. Once it got to the point that _Cisco_ was freaking out and stressing, that's when things were serious. Caitlin, on the other hand, would probably make him go through as many tests as possible to make sure things were going well with him.

And he didn't particularly feel like peeing in a cup anytime soon.

"Fine, whatever, I guess I was nervous," Barry finally said.

But nervous of what? It was as he said, it wasn't a date. Not the kind of date he wanted to go on and whom he wanted to go with, anyway.

"Which, again, you have nothing to be nervous about," Cisco said. He reached out and grasped Barry's shoulder. "But remember the next time you see her, try to slip my name in there. Maybe mention that I work at one of the biggest science and technology companies in the US. Maybe say that some of the pharmaceutical that she's been peddling has been brought out of STAR Labs."

Barry laughed and walked out of the room draping his towel over his shoulders, shaking his head. If there was anyone who knew how to make him feel better it was Cisco. He wouldn't know what to do without his best friend by his side.

A fact he suddenly became well aware of as they walked down the stairs into the kitchen and he got a good look at Kent Nash as he stood at the counter, waving a knife around.

All of a sudden he realized he was meeting Cadence's father and much like he had been when he first met Becky's parents, his stomach twisted into knots and he started to sweat. _What's the matter with you?_ He berated himself. It wasn't like he was legitimately doing the 'meet the parents' thing, he wasn't even dating Cadence.

Still, he steeled himself as Kent turned his steely eyes their way and looked them up and down. Cadence, who stood at the other side of the spacious kitchen, washing dishes in the sink greeted them as if nothing was amiss.

"Hey. You were taking so long I thought you might've gotten lost," she said to them. "Which isn't so surprising in a house as big as this." She took a step back, holding out her dripping arms then clenched her hands into fists. Her arms started to steam and the water immediately dried away. Barry glanced over at Kent, who didn't spear to be fazed by her exhibitions of power. "This is my dad, Kent. Dad this is Barry and Cisco."

"It's nice to meet you, sir," Cisco said, voice coming out in almost a squeak. He seemed to have noticed the large knife in his hand as well. Barry glanced at him and smiled a little. Cisco's nerves at meeting the man reassured him a little. Looking at Kent Barry could see where Cadence's seriousness came from (if nature vs. nurture was a real thing); he looked exactly as a businessman would.

However after a beat of silence Kent smiled warmly towards them. "You don't have to call me, 'sir'. Especially not within my own home. Please, call me Kent. Or Mr. Nash if you prefer but not even my clients call me that."

"That's because they're all afraid of you," Cadence quipped.

"Yes, well, it doesn't hurt to be forceful when needed to get your point across." Kent then turned back to the boys and Barry had the feeling he was being looked through rather than looked at. Even as he looked back at the man the smile on his face was almost a knowing smile. It didn't reassure him much at all. "Make yourselves at home; the food should be ready in about an hour. Cadey could get the kale out of the oven, please?"

"Sure," Cadence agreed.

Kent smiled once more and left the kitchen as Cadence walked over to the oven and opened the door. She reached inside and grabbed the pan with her bare hand, setting it on the counter. She pulled her hand away and glanced at it, running her fingertips over her palm.

"You…?" Barry lowered his voice as he glanced over his shoulder in case someone was listening to them. "You just use your powers like that?"

"That doesn't hurt?" Cisco added.

Cadence held up her hand, wiggling her fingers in a childlike wave. "Doesn't hurt at all. I don't get burned easily." Then she turned her attention to Barry and he quickly lowered his gaze to the ground. Just in case he looked in the wrong area. But his eyes proved to be faster than the rest of his body. His eyes moved over her body, taking in her orange bikini top and jean shorts, making her legs seem longer, making her appear to be taller than her short stature. "As for the powers thing, my Mom and Dad have known about them as long as I have, I don't have to hide it here."

That struck him.

It became exhausting to remember who did and didn't know about his secret, what he could get away with when using it to make his day go by faster—as it now went notoriously slow, and wondering how someone would react if they did find out he kept it a secret.

"Um, do they know…?" He started to ask.

"That you're the Flash?" Cadence broke in. She leaned against the counter behind her, crossing her arms as she shook her head. "I haven't told them. It's not my secret to tell. Though I do have to tell them about Brady soon."

Barry swallowed hard, mind still reeling from the revelation. If he did tell them it'd be one place he could go without having to stress so much about it. But it'd be hard at the same time, knowing another family knew about his powers before his own did. Iris still deserved to know and even then he was having trouble finding the words for even that.

"How do you think they'll react to it?" Cisco asked, now sounding as if he recovered from his anxiety now that Kent was out of the room.

"Well, if it's anything like the way they reacted to mine…they'd probably allow him to use his powers in here but pretend that he's _normal_ ," She used air quotes around the words. "Everywhere else." Barry didn't miss the bitter tone that crept into Cadence's voice as she said so. "Can't do anything to besmirch their perfect image for the public." Her eyes shifted down as Brady suddenly ran into the kitchen, carrying a big water gun as he headed toward the back door. "Walking feet!"

Barry smiled as Brady slowed and started to do an exaggerated walk towards the back door. Cadence's grasp on her arms tightened. "Do you want to try that again or do you want to continue to be a smart-aleck?"

Brady frowned as he turned back to his mother. "I wasn't being a smart-aleck," he whined.

"Looks like someone's taking a ride on the fuss bus," Cadence commented.

"I hate it when you do that."

"Get used to it, bud, you've got about nine more years before it stops and you move out." Cadence waved a hand towards him. "Go out and swim, just make sure you put on some sunscreen before you do. I have to finish up here then I'll be outside."

"Okay!"

Grateful to be away from a grounding he was more than likely to get, Brady hurried into the backyard with Barry and Cisco right behind him. As soon as he stepped outside, shielding his face from the sun, Barry felt himself relax a little bit. As far as he was concerned there wasn't any crime in Metropolis to stop with Superman around and if anything went on back in Central City it wouldn't take much time for him to deal with it before going back to Metropolis.

Cisco let out a low whistle under his breath as he studied the pool set up in the backyard. If there was any indication the Nash family was wealthy before the fire pit, large pool complete with slide and diving board, and deck for grilling certainly proved that, not including the sloping, fenced off backyard with a garden planted in the back corner to set if off.

"Can I move here?" He asked.

"Not unless you want to pay rent," Kent commented from the grill, carefully flipping a hamburger on it.

"Do I have to pay rent, Pawpaw?" Brady asked, putting his water gun down to pick up a bottle of sunscreen.

Kent gave him a funny look. "Do you have the money to pay rent?" He laughed when Brady said, "No, but my mom does." and reached out, tousling his hair. "I was just kidding." Then he turned to the three and squinted. "Hey, where's that other friend of yours?"

"Caitlin?" Cisco snickered under his breath. "Probably doing everything in her power to make sure she stays out of the sun." He looked over his shoulder as the door to the kitchen opened once more and Caitlin slowly walked out. Barry looked over then looked at Cisco and the two laughed.

True to Cisco's word, Caitlin was dressed in a wide brimmed straw hat, sunglasses, a loose blouse and skirt. "Laugh it up," Caitlin said, walking over to a deck chair, flip-flops smacking against her feet as she did so. "But don't come crying to me when you get skin cancer."

"Skin cancer's not even what you need to be worried about Cait," Barry teased. "I think your hat catching on fire from the sun's rays is your biggest worry." He and Cisco glanced at each other and laughed once more, fist bumping each other.

"Or, you know, freezing over the pool from the glare you're giving us," Cisco added. He held up his hands and took a step back, noticing Caitlin's eyebrows come together behind her sunglasses. "Don't blame us if you don't have any fun." With that he took a few steps before diving into the water.

Barry dropped his towel onto a nearby chair before jumping in as well.

He resurfaced just in time to get hit in the face with a spray of water. Wiping water away from his face he found Brady laughing to himself, lifting goggles off his eyes. "Sorry," he giggled. "I was doing a cannonball. Watch! Watch me do a cannonball." He swam over to the side of the pool and quickly climbed out onto the pool deck before running over to the diving board to do it again. When he surfaced again he brushed his hair back and kicked over to him. "Well? What'd you think?"

"I think that was a good one," Barry replied, grabbing onto his hands and gently kicked him back across the pool.

Brady looked at him curiously. "How fast can you swim? Can you swim as fast as you can run? Do your powers work under water and on top of water?"

Holding his breath, Barry turned to glance at Kent, who continued to stand by the grill, whistling to himself. He didn't seem to have heard what the young boy had said. Then he turned on his heel and went back into the house. He briefly wondered if Brady was aware of Cadence's abilities being used at the house and just didn't think of how bad it would be to mention Barry's.

Not that he'd mind too much if he could finally be as normal as possible. It'd bring a good weight off his shoulders. "You know, I don't know. I've never tried."

"Sounds like a good experiment to me!" Cisco declared, rubbing his hands together.

"I don't think so," Caitlin chimed in from her chair. She sat up, rubbing sunscreen onto her arms as she said, "At least not in a pool this small. If Barry could move as fast as he can on water _under_ water then it'd probably create some sort of a rip tide or suction that'd not only destroy the pool but could also injure everyone around him when he does it." She paused.

"Mostly because we don't know if he'd accidentally electrocute you, too," Cadence commented as she came outside, carrying a towel over her shoulder. She tossed it onto an empty chair and wiggled out of her jean shorts.

Barry forced himself to turn his attention back to Brady as she did so. He had fast eyes but the last thing he wanted to do was be accused of checking her out when her son, let alone her mother and father were around. At least in that aspect he wasn't like Eddie.

"Mom, mom, can you show me how to do a flip off a diving board?" Brady asked, already abandoning Barry's attention.

Cadence grimaced as she pulled her hair back behind her into a ponytail. "I haven't tried in a while. So if I smack my head on the bottom I expect at least one of you to do CPR on me." She motioned to the side. "My vote's for Caitlin."

Caitlin made a sound of annoyance, slapping down the cap of her bottle of sunscreen. "Would you _please_ let that go?!"

"Not unless you get in the water. I can't have you be a hermit while the rest of us are having fun. The point of coming out here was to keep me entertained while I suffer through being back here."

Cisco, who was now floating on his back, hair spread around him like a halo spoke up. "Your mom and dad don't seem that bad, Cade."

"Just wait. They haven't gotten started yet," She said flatly.

Cadence walked over to the diving board and bounced on the lip for a few seconds to test out the springs. Barry, Cisco, and Brady moved out of the way so Cadence had enough space to land in the water. She bounced a few times then leapt up into the air, doing a font flip before landing in the water.

Barry quickly noticed the change in temperature of the water and shot an accusing glance at Cisco, who held his hands up defensively. "It wasn't me dude, I swear," he said.

Cadence resurfaced and moved her hair from her face just as Brady climbed up onto her back, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "Sorry," she apologized. "I forgot about that. I should've warned you."

"So _everything_ around you gets warm?" Caitlin asked, sounding intrigued.

"Only when I'm not trying hard enough to keep my powers in control," Cadence explained. She shrugged. "Saves a lot on the water bill." She then turned her head and narrowed her eyes at her son. "What did I tell you about staying away from the deep end?"

Brady frowned and lowered his chin to her shoulder. "I didn't go that far over and Barry was holding onto me the whole time. I was being careful, I promise."

"Well, it'd make me feel better if you stayed over on this end," Cadence commented, moving towards the middle of the pool. She thought for a minute before her eyes lit up with excitement. "Who wants to play chicken?"

"Me!" Cisco immediately threw his hand into the air. "Dante and I used to play with our cousins all the time. No one could ever beat us. Plus," he grabbed onto Cadence's arm. "We've got home pool advantage."

"Okay, but I have to be on your shoulders," Cadence said then blushed. "My feet don't reach the bottom of the pool."

Barry laughed and turned to Caitlin. "Come on, Caitlin, let's play."

She hesitated for a moment then crossed her arms, shaking her head. "No thank you, I'm perfectly fine where I am."

"Sheesh, Cait. We're here as guests on a vacation of sorts. You don't need to be so uptight." Cisco rolled his eyes, making a face to Cadence who laughed quietly to herself.

A snicker escaped Barry's throat as the air around him suddenly became cold. He could practically see her glaring at Cisco as her mouth puckered into an unamused pout. "I'm _not_ uptight!" She spat. But it didn't take long for her to join them in the water. Only a bit longer than Barry thought it would take. "Fine, let's play!"

"Wait, let me get the camera," Brady said. He scrambled out of the pool and hurried inside.

Barry took the opportunity to float on his back, listening to Cisco and Caitlin argue quietly over whether or not Cisco was allowed to call her uptight or not with Cisco defending himself by listing off everything that surely made her uptight. And that was only a few moments before Caitlin got on him for being a man-child to which Cisco shot back, "Don't be dissing my shirts!"

He smiled.

They should've taken a break from Central City a while ago. Being able to just relax was something he hadn't been able to do for a long time…as relaxing as it was to be half naked in a pool with his friends and the somewhat object of his affection.

"So how was your date with Becky?"

Startled, Barry accidentally dunked his head under water before he stood up, coughing and sputtering. Finally, with one eye closed to keep water from trickling inside, Barry looked over at Cadence, who was giving him an odd look. He bristled—whether it was from embarrassment or from noticing her legs gently brushed against his as she held herself up against the side of the pool he wasn't sure. "It wasn't a date!" He snapped.

Cadence's eyebrows rose but she didn't appear to be annoyed, actually her eyes seemed to light up, flickering with fire. "Chill, Tholly. I was just teasing you. How was your 'non-date' then?" She used air quotes around the words.

Mentally, Barry kicked himself. "It was fine," he said honestly. "We had a good time talking to each other and catching up. But it was kind of weird though; at one point I started shaking like I did when I first got my powers."

Pressing her lips together, Cadence gave him a funny smile. "Yeah, we wanted to talk to you about that." She laughed and twisted away when Barry sent a wave of water her way before splashing him back.

Brady then came back with the camera and they got ready to start the game of chicken with Cadence on Cisco's shoulders and Caitlin's on Barry's. As the game started, Barry reached up and grasped onto Caitlin's legs he felt a surge of jealousy sprint through him as if in a race against logic as he watched Cisco and Cadence high-five once more, pumping each other up for a win.

It wasn't the first time he didn't move fast enough.

* * *

Cadence blew her hair out of her face as she focused her attention on scraping a pan with a steel wool brush, focusing on not setting it on fire. _You move out of your house and they still expect you to help with the chores when you come back to visit,_ she thought with a light roll of her eyes. A drop of pool water ran down the side of her face and she blew it away out of the corner of her mouth.

She had expected there to be some sort of blow up once they had to pause their game of chicken to have dinner, but her mother and father had behaved themselves pretty well. Even when asking Cisco, Caitlin, and Barry questions about their jobs they weren't as invasive and straight forward as she thought they would've been. As a matter of fact she watched them almost suspiciously throughout the entire dinner, only answering the question they had for her with one word.

The tension between them was obvious and yet Maya and Kent did their best to ignore it, focusing all of their attention on Brady who was glad to eat it up.

Then Maya had disappeared back into the house while Kent asked Cadence to help him wash some more dishes; which all seemed to pile up thanks to Barry's insatiable appetite. At least he was able to do it sneakily and with the excuse that he worked out a lot to make sense of his caloric intake.

 _But I'm going to kick your butt for the mountain of work I now have to do,_ Cadence thought. She let out a quiet sigh, knowing that wasn't entirely the truth. She just didn't want to be around her father knowing it was only a matter of time before an argument started.

It typically didn't take long.

Except Kent stood on the other side of the kitchen, carefully putting the dishes away, humming to himself as he did so. Almost as if there was nothing amiss between them.

Turning her attention back to the dishes she glanced out the window over the sink and stared as Barry walked around the side of the pool, dragging a towel over his head to dry his hair. She watched as beads of water dripped over his shoulders and down his stomach before dripping onto the pool deck. Almost as if afraid she'd scare him away with sudden movement, Cadence slowly, very slowly reached out to grab the detachable faucet to spray the pan in her hand, keeping her eyes on Barry.

"What are you looking at?"

Cadence was so startled that she accidentally closed her hand around the faucet and sprayed herself in the face with a blast of water. She shrieked and jumped backwards, dropping the faucet at the same time. Brady looked at her like she had grown a second hand as Cadence grabbed a towel and wiped it over her face.

Instead of replying to his question Cadence asked, "Do you have the ability to read minds?"

Brady paused, pressing his finger to his chin as he thought about it. "Um..." He peered hard at his mother. "Are you thinking about hamburgers?"

"No."

"Then, no."

"Good." Cadence shooed him away then turned to hand her father the pan, noticing him watching her. Already annoyed, she gave him a flinty glance. "What?" She asked.

Kent shook his head as he took the pan and moved it back in place in the shelf under the oven. Then he moved to his daughter's side to help her dry the dishes. She heard him say something about Maya having been MIA since their arrival at the house, something about getting things figured out for the celebration, but she didn't pay too much attention.

It was so convenient. She invited her back to spend time with the family then disappeared for much of it. _Always keeping up appearances,_ Cadence thought.

"So…you and Barry?" Kent started gently.

A light sigh escaped Cadence's lips. She was wondering when the question was going to be asked. It never took long for them to pry into her personal life whenever she came back to visit. "What about me and Barry, dad?"

"Nothing." Kent shrugged once more. Then he closed his eyes for a brief moment then shook his head, almost like he was shaking off a wave of pain. "It just looks like you're really close."

"He's my best friend."

"Are you sure about that?"

Cadence gave him a funny look. "That he's my best friend? Yeah, I'm pretty sure."

"No, I mean that all you are is friends."

"Oh, that. No, I'm not sure about that, actually."

Surprised by her admission, Cadence stopped washing the dishes. It was the most she had willingly divulged to him in a long time. That had been the worst part of losing their relationship from when she was younger. She used to be such a daddy's girl, running to him for every problem she had, telling him everything that happened at school that day without sparing the slightest detail, even telling him about the classroom drama that went on of who liked whom and who had gotten into trouble.

And he sat there and listened to everything she had to say, asking questions in the right places and becoming engrossed in it all on his own.

But it was good to have someone impartial to talk about it with. The last thing she wanted was for Brady to call her a 'dummy' due to seeing the situation as being easy to figure out, she didn't want Cisco to continuously give her sly glances and knowing smiles, she didn't want Caitlin to feel upset in some way if the conversation shifted back to Ronnie. Harrison she had absolutely no idea how he would react to her dating and didn't really want to find out and as for the Wests, she wasn't close enough to them to talk about it and something told her Iris wouldn't be too glad to have the conversation.

"What makes you unsure?" Kent finally pressed.

Cadence pursed her lips for a moment. "Because we've been close since we met but it's like he won't let me in further than that." Her eyes shifted for a moment, knowing she was running the risk of spilling his secret as she continued. "Say he was…the Flash…and the only reason he wouldn't want to be with me is because he was trying to protect me from whatever villains was coming after him. Or he's afraid of bringing people too close because he might be afraid of them getting hurt. I can understand that, especially after what happened with his mom. But at the same time I wonder if I should even try."

"You mean like what happened with Ryder?"

"Barry and Ryder are two completely different people, dad."

"No, I mean because you were hurt by Ryder that you're trying to keep it from happening again. So you keep your distance from everyone around you. If you want some advice…and this is some corny advice but it's something that'll help given the circumstances…life's too short to hold yourself back on things you really want."

Cadence nodded but didn't say anything more. It wasn't the conversation she wanted to have with her father but at least it was a start. And it made her realize something important.

No matter how close she and Barry were to each other they were still so far away.

* * *

Becky sat in the corner of her childhood bedroom ignoring everything around her. Nearly every time she spoke to someone something weird happened and it was starting to affect her job. At first she thought it was just her imagination, something playing tricks on her.

But now she knew it was real, and that something was going on.

And she really needed some help.

* * *

 **A/N:** So Cadence has finally started to speak to her parents again but there's going to be some time before they truly sit down and talk. And we've established that Barry and Becky didn't go on a date but a 'non-date' and something's going on with her but we don't know yet. Let me know what you think.

Please remember to review, I'm serious about my writing and my stories, and if you have anything to comment about, anything to mention, or anything to say, I would love to hear it and it motivates me to write more. I respond to every review I get even if it's anonymous.

Also, check out my new BarryCade one-shot, _Smile_ that I just put up as well. It's a bit shorter than the others, but fluffy.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	6. Chapter 6

**.:6:.**

* * *

Footsteps thudded across the ground, breaking the silence of the otherwise silent neighborhood. Cadence let out a low breath as she moved into her stride, beside her Barry jogged along at a slow, almost bored pace. She could practically see his eyes glazing over as they went.

He was so used to running around at top speed, making a mile in less than three seconds, able to go back and forth across the United States with only a few moments of exertion. Cadence could only stand the light roll of his eyes as they came to the corner and stopped to look around.

"I'm sorry we can't all move as fast as you can, Tholly," She remarked, reaching out a hand to press against his chest, shoving him away from her. "But you didn't have to come out here with me."

Barry was quick to apologize. "It's not that." Then he paused. "Well, it sort of is. It's just running in general. You can see the entirety of Central City and most of the East Coast within a few minutes before it all starts to look the same. That's why I took the scenic route back. There was more to look at, plus the baguette I stopped for in Paris was amazing."

"But you like to run though…?" Cadence phrased it as a question.

"Yeah, I don't know what I would do without my ability to run so fast." He frowned. "Actually, I get pretty bored having to stand in line for the bank."

"I hate to break it to you, but most people do that stuff online now."

"...I used to. But I did it so fast that I had so many problems accidentally putting in the wrong numbers for my accounts and moving too much money over…I've had my account flagged so many times that I have to go into the bank now."

Cadence laughed. First loudly, then quiet as she heard her voice echo along the street. "Only you, Barry. Only you." She turned as Brady came up to their side, hardly out of breath as well. He wiped sweat off his forehead and turned around, cupping his hand around his mouth.

"C'mon, Cisco, you can do it!" Brady called. He grimaced, tuning towards Cadence as he realized how loud his voice echoed. The two shared a secret smile before turning back to Cisco. "You're not much farther from the end."

Barry smiled as Iris's efforts to keep Cisco's spirits up, and then smiled wider when he heard what Cisco muttered under his breath. He brought a hand to his mouth to stifle his laughter and looked at Brady, who did the same with both hands, giggling. Cadence let out a short breath, placing her hands on her hips.

She should've reprimanded Cisco for using that language around Brady, but decided it wasn't worth it. It wasn't so bad compared to some of the things he'd already heard. Besides, watching Cisco be bad at something was actually pretty funny. She normally saw him sitting behind a desk or working on some sort of invention that she couldn't even dream of. The other side of things was more entertaining than she thought.

"This kid is like a soccer prodigy and he tells _me_ to hurry up," Cisco said as soon as he came to a stop in front of them. Brady continued to laugh. "I don't see _you_ sitting behind a computer desk working on as many experiments and inventions that life can offer." He huffed and puffed as he came to a stop. "Not to mention how many hours I spend slaying dragons and running guilds."

"Cisco, I don't think playing Warhammer, World of Warcraft, and League of Legends counts of getting hours of exercise in," Barry pointed out. Cisco turned his head to the side and glared at Barry obviously viewing him as a traitor.

"How can you possibly say that moving your thumbs over a controller for hours on end counts?" Cadence asked, coming to Barry's defense. She really wanted to hear his explanation for this.

"It counts when you have a Virtual Reality mechanism set up where a sword you wield works conclusively with the gaming console so that it's like you're actually there," Cisco pointed out. "I'd like to see _you_ take down a level 80 troll and make sure that you keep your flank clear of attacking dragons. That fire shooting off near you can really get your heart racing." He took a deep breath and let it out in an increasingly strangled sound. "And all without your precious super-speed."

Barry started to respond then stopped, throwing his arm out in front of Cisco, nearly clotheslining him. "I didn't think they _had_ Virtual Reality for those games."

"They don't. I invented it. And if you were nice to me I'd probably invite you over to play." Cisco slowed to a walk, placing his hands on his hips and slowed down to a speed-walk, gasping for air. His cheeks turned red. "But considering you insist on making me go through this torture I take back my invitation."

Brady reached up his hand and placed it on his forehead, as if shielding his face from the sun despite the fact that sun hadn't risen yet. "Where's Caitlin?"

"If she's smart, she turned around after the first corner and went back to the house," Cisco commented.

"There she is!" Brady pointed before running the way he came to reach her as she slowly came around the corner.

"How does he have so much energy so early in the morning?" Cisco whined, eyes closed from the pain.

Chuckling, Cadence shook her head. "Honestly, I've been wondering that since he was born. I'm just trying to tire him out a little before he runs my mom and dad ragged." She clapped her hands together when Brady and Caitlin reached their side. "You okay, Cait?"

Caitlin managed a weak wave of her hand, head still bent, ponytail falling over her shoulders.

"How can you go through medical school and become a bioengineer and not realize how good consistent exercise is for your body and overall health?"

Once again Caitlin managed to give a small wave in response. She finally stood up and gave a deep breath. "I was starting to think that we should add a mandatory health plan into our schedules with STAR Labs. But then I got some flashbacks of my time in PE and realized it was a bad, _bad_ idea."

"Ditto," Cisco agreed.

Even Barry grimaced at the thought.

"Are you guys ready to get going again?" Cadence asked, placing her hands on her hips. She alternated between tiny steps, kicking up her heels as she did so. "Once we get this done and record your time trials, we can work on your general fitness with a serious of push-ups, sit-ups, and other stretches."

Cisco looked at her as if she had torn off her head and revealed she was an alien underneath. "Who are you and what have you done to Cadence? I thought you and I were supposed to be the fun ones."

"Then what am I?" Barry asked.

"You're the boring one," Cisco replied.

Offended, Barry's eyebrows lowered.

Caitlin, Cisco, Cadence, and Brady all started to laugh as soon as he made, what was known to them, as his 'wounded puppy face'.

"Oh come on, Barry, I don't think you would be the first one of us to suggest going to a club for fun. I, on the other hand, would go for…scientific purposes, of course." Cisco cleared his throat then buffed his nails against his chest. "To see how many girls can resist me and my killer dance moves."

"I've seen your dance moves, they'd all resist you, Cisco," Caitlin teased him.

"Oh, you've got jokes, huh?"

Caitlin smiled, then her shoulders dropped and she sighed heavily. "We may as well get it over with. The sooner we start the sooner I can die."

The group started to run again, this time at a slower pace, following Cadence. They left the neighborhood and headed in a direction that was random to the others but it was obvious Cadence had a specific place she was going in mind.

Barry looked over at Cadence every now and then. Her face was set in a calm expression as she moved along, her eyes straight forward. No matter how hard he had tried to catch her eye she seemed to be looking away from him.

"So…what's up?" Barry asked after a few more minutes of silence.

Cadence still didn't look at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're doing that thing you do when you're anxious," Barry pointed out. "When your face is practically carved from stone; it's so intense. Like you're trying a new ability to look through walls or something."

Cadence looked like she was about to protest then an expression of recognition came to her face before it softened. It was only a few seconds before the face turned became rock solid once more. Then she shook her head and made a sound of frustration.

"It's just being here," she admitted. "There's a part of me that's glad to see my mom and dad and know that they're trying to make things work. There's a part of me that wants to go back to Central City because I can handle metahumans a lot easier than I can handle them. There's a part of me that's waiting for everything to blow up in my face."

Barry didn't say anything. He nodded for her to continued, giving silent support.

"And as bad as it is, I get annoyed coming back here because they seem like they want to be there for Brady more than they are for me." She sighed. "But what do I know?" She looked at him, apologetically. "I'm sorry; I probably sound really ungrateful complaining like this."

A shrug moved Barry's shoulders. "You're allowed to feel the way you feel."

"How do _you_ feel? I mean, what you were your mom and dad like? You don't really talk about them."

Now Barry started to smile a little. "Stupidly in love. Like, to the point that I had to be very careful when walking into my own house on numerous occasions."

"Really affectionate?"

"That's not even the best word to describe it, but yeah. They were _really_ affectionate. Uh, you know my dad was a doctor. He had a practice that nearly everyone in Central City went to. My mom was a stay at home mom after quitting her career in real-estate to take care of me." Barry shrugged again. "There's not much to tell. We were a loving family, we were happy. Well, as happy as my mom could be knowing I was getting beat up nearly every day."

Cadence's eyebrows lowered. She couldn't ever imagine someone as sweet as Barry being beaten up in school. Yes, he was a bit nerdish which could be a prime target for bullies. But to be bullied every day. Honestly, it made her feel a little sad.

At least until he explained.

"I never liked seeing other kids getting picked on so I'd bring the attention onto me then run away as fast as I could. I didn't always get away fast enough but sometimes I did. Either way, my dad was proud but my mom worried. She always worried about me."

"Well, you were an only child, so that makes sense. Did you ever want brothers and sisters?"

"All the time," Barry agreed. "I asked my Mom and Dad for _years._ Obviously this before I knew where babies come from, but I kept asking. I wished on birthday candles, wrote to Santa, found four-leaf clovers. Anything I could think of." He was silent for a long minute. "I don't know. Maybe if my Mom hadn't been murdered and Dad wasn't in jail they might've had another kid. But they always said I was a handful."

"Considering how much you ran everywhere?"

"I only ran away from bullies, I never ran away from my Mom and Dad."

"Right. I'm sure there's a story somewhere of them wiggling out of your grasp enough so that they had to place you on a leash." With a light laugh she reached out to shove him on the arm, jostling him into the street. He came back and shoved her in return.

"I was _never_ on a leash," Barry defended himself. "What about you? Something tells me that _you_ were a handful as a kid."

"Oh, I was a handful all right; I just never got to the point where I needed a leash." Cadence thought for a minute. "I used to be locked into my room at night, though, around Christmas. I always tried to sneak out of bed to see if I could catch Santa putting the gifts under the tree and my mom and dad didn't like that I woke them up so early."

"I can believe it." He grinned at her.

"Oh, shut up."

Barry suddenly looked up and came to a stop when he realized they had come to a school building. He glanced over at Cadence, whose suddenly ashen face made it appear she had seen a ghost. It took only a second for him to realize where they were. "Is this your school?" He asked.

Cadence opened her mouth and it took a second for her to respond with a croaky, "…Yeah."

It took a few more minutes for Cisco, Caitlin, and Bray to catch up. Cadence hadn't noticed she and Barry had gotten so far ahead of them .She enjoyed talking to him that much, she realized. Being able to talk about what was going on in her head without feeling judged about it.

 _He didn't judge you about Brad either,_ she reminded herself. He took it at face value, after getting over the fact she lied about him being her brother, and treated him like any other person that came his way; as a friend. And he was always ready and willing to do anything if Brady asked for it. Sometimes she thought Barry spoiled him a little, but that argument held no grounds.

If anyone spoiled him it definitely was her. She wanted him to have a better, more supportive life than she had.

"So are we just going to look at it or are we going to go in?" Cisco pressed.

Caitlin looked over at Cadence and placed her hand on her shoulder. "We don't have to if you don't want to."

"No, it's fine." She had basically brought them there anyway. How could she have forgotten that all of her morning runs when she still lived In Metropolis was to school and back. It was just so easy for her to shut her mind off and move on auto-pilot. "Come on." She took Brady's hand in hers and the group then walked towards across the school grounds.

"Uh, don't you think we should at least wait until it's open?" Barry asked.

"School security doesn't come in for another hour and the gym is always open for students to come in for early practice. The cross country team comes in if they're scheduled to do two-a-days. It's fine." Cadence's grasp tightened on Brady's hand as they moved closer to the building until she felt him wiggling his fingers, trying to pull away from her. "Oh, sorry, bud."

"It's okay," he said, as she loosened her grip. He looked at her. "Mom, why don't you like being back here?" He managed to say it with the utmost innocence. But it broker her heart as he added, "Is it because of me?"

She could even see the discomfort move through Barry's, Caitlin's, and Cisco's faces. Still, Cadence managed a warm smile down towards her son. "No way. I just remember how many times my teachers used to get on me for skipping class. Somehow they always knew. Maybe they were metas, too, and could actually read minds?"

Brady then smiled back at her. As they stepped into the gym he let go of her hand and hurried over to a display case that had numerous trophies inside it. He looked over them for a minute before going to another display case. Cadence moved slowly behind him, taking in the memories that came flying back at her by the second. How she and her friends would giggle with each other as they went into the locker rooms to get changed, how she and Ryder used to wait for each other after practice before driving home, spirit weeks, classes, hanging out with friends all the time.

How much she loved living there.

How much she missed it.

"Hey, is this you?"

Turning, Cadence noticed her friends gathered around a trophy case. She trotted over and leaned in to look at the picture. She couldn't help but smile at the photo of the cheerleading team from her sophomore year. She and her then best friend Mallory were front and center, hands on their knees along with the rest of the team, both grinning widely.

"Yeah, that's after we won the State Championship," she explained, tapping the glass to point out the trophy. "Actually, we won every competition that year. The only time it's happened in the school's history." She leaned over and pointed to another pictures. "That's when I was in eighth grade. I was on the junior varsity and varsity teams."

"How'd that happen?" Cisco asked, leaning closer to the trophy case.

"I was a flyer. And because I was so light, I was easiest to toss around."

"You looked like you had a lot of fun," Caitlin said.

"Yeah, it was my life for a long time." Cadence reached out and ruffled Brady's hair as he continued to look curiously at the pictures. "Then some other things became more important." Her eyebrows twitched for a moment. "Not that either of my parents noticed so much. They were too busy going to fashion events and gallery openings and galas to go to my competitions."

They group continued to look around in silence before Cadence clasped her hands together and asked, "So, are you ready to go back?"

Cisco and Caitlin both groaned.

Barry laughed at their plight then turned to Cadence, nudging her on the arm. Flicking her hair from her face, Cadence caught his e and he winked at her. For a moment Cadence felt her heart soar—literally feeling like it sprouted wings and flew from the gesture alone.

She knew what he meant—to take Caitlin and Cisco back to the house with their powers so they didn't have to suffer. But at the same time she felt he was trying to reassure her a little bit. That things in her life were going well and not to dwell on what had changed.

If he could do it, so could she.

"Fine." She finally said, realizing that she had started to stare at Barry. A blush worked its way up her cheeks as she turned back to Cisco and Caitlin. It deepened when she saw the glances they exchanged with each other. "We'll take you two babies back to the house by way of speed."

"Oh, thank God," Cisco declared. He ran his hands over his face. He leaned heavily on Caitlin's arm. "I swear I don't think my legs will hold me up much longer."

"All the more reason to run back," Cadence stated. She ran a hand through her hair, feeling her spirits lift. "But I was thinking the long way around. It's more scenic."

"Scenic is always good to me," Barry declared. He brought his hand up to keep his laughter from escaping.

"Barry, running around Central City at warp speed is scenic to you," Caitlin complained. "Don't make the rest of us suffer."

A light 'tsk' sound came from Cisco's mouth. "You metas think you can run the rest of us ragged just to get your kicks."

"Pretty much," Cadence and Barry said in unison.

Twenty minutes later the group was back at the house. As soon as they arrived Brady ran off to the living room to watch TV while Cadence offered the shower to anyone who wanted to go first. Though the general consensus seemed to be that they wanted to eat first. ("It's the least you could do after trying to kill us," Cisco said). Cadence then led them to the kitchen to start breakfast, finding her mother and father already seated at the dining room table, heated plats of food sitting in front of them.

"Well, it's nice to see that there are some out there that continue to enjoy the early morning," Kent commented, motioning for everyone to sit down. He started to get up from his seat. "There's plenty of food for you all."

"Somehow I doubt that," Cadence said before being able to stop herself. Barry glared at her out of the corner of his eye and she smiled sweetly in response.

"You don't have to get up, Mr. Nash," Caitlin said. "We can get it."

"Oh, he needs the exercise," Maya said, waving her to sit back down. "I'm not sure if you noticed he doesn't seem to be getting enough of it lately."

Cadence rolled her eyes. Of course her mother would mention her father's weight gain. She probably would've mentioned how unkempt Cadence looked as well if it wasn't for everyone else having gone running with her.

Maya laced her fingers together, resting her elbows on the table. "There's so much that needs to be done to make sure he's as healthy as possible but it seems like taking a short walk is the last thing he wants to do. So how was your excursion this morning."

"Fine," Cadence said shortly.

She hoped the conversation would end there but it kept going.

"It was actually really nice," Barry said. He nodded over to Cadence. "We saw some more of the neighborhood and Cade showed us where she went in high school."

Maya gave a tight smile. "Yes, it's just a shame that she wasn't able to complete her schooling there rather than getting her GED." Cadence pressed her lips together. "Not that we're not proud of her being able to go on and continue to further her education. What is it that you do now, sweetie?"

Before she could respond, Barry reached out his hand, under the table, and grabbed Cadence's hand. She instantly felt soothed by the warmth of his palm against her skin. Barry smiled warmly. "Actually, we both work at the Central City Police Department."

"Aren't you a little young to be working as a police officer?" Maya asked.

Cadence glanced at Barry. If he was annoyed that, once again, how young he looked, he didn't show it. "I actually work in the forensics department as a CSI. Cade works as the Medical Examiner."

"And what is it that you two do?" Maya turned her attention to Caitlin and Cisco.

"We work at STAR Labs," Cisco explained. "I'm a mechanical engineer and Caitlin is a Bio-engineer."

Cadence could see the almost imperceptible change to her mother's face as soon as STAR Labs was mentioned. Whether or not she knew that Harrison Wells still worked there, she knew he had been the one that set up the laboratories and was the one who had turned on the Particle Accelerator. For someone who used to be such close friends with him she managed to not let that show how much it bothered her.

"I'm sorry it's a bit cold," Kent said as he walked back into the dining room, carrying plates in his arms. He set them in front of their house guests. "But I'm sure it wouldn't take much time for them to be warmed up." He flashed Cadence a smile and wink as he sat down in his seat.

Cadence smiled back.

"So, Mr. Nash, you must be excited about your advertising company celebrating its 25th year," Caitlin said, changing the subject.

"It's definitely an honor," Kent agreed. "We went from working out of a friend's basement to now holding refuge in one of the biggest building in downtown Metropolis. Working with some of the larger advertising projects some of which I'm sure you've seen. But I don't want to brag, I'm glad all of you were able to come help us celebrate." His eyes softened. "I'm glad to have been able to meet Cade's friends, finally."

"And to see how well Brady has been growing up," Maya added.

Cadence dropped her fork onto her plate with a clang. "Here we go."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means it was only a matter of time until you started to criticize everything I do. What is it now? How I'm not calling him for breakfast? How I woke him up so early to go on a run with me? How I'm not working as a stay at home mom despite the fact that he's in school?"

Maya dropped her fork to her plate as well, mouth dropping open in offense. "I don't want to interfere with your life."

A sarcastic laugh escaped Cadence's lips. She felt her temper start to flare. "This coming from the woman who _sprinted_ into the backyard when dad and I were playing soccer; yelling about her yard and whether or not dad realized that 'he had a daughter with breasts, not a son! And that no guy was going to go out with me if I had bigger muscles than they did' all because I liked to play soccer so much." She held up a finger. "And that was only the tip of the iceberg that came crashing into my Titanic once you found out I was pregnant."

"Cade—"Kent started.

She could feel Barry tighten his grip on her hand but batted his hand away. "And congratulations, it's only seven in the morning and you've already managed to insult not only me but my friends, too. I hope you're very happy." She pushed back her seat and left the dining room.

She made it halfway through the house before she remembered she could teleport and arrived in her room. She paced back and forth a few moments before sitting on the edge of her bed, resting her face in her palms. She took a couple deep breaths, trying to calm down.

She couldn't help it, her mother always managed to find a way to push her buttons. Or maybe she was just too sensitive to the things she heard from her before. She didn't know anymore. It was all starting to become so confusing. It didn't help that she knew her mother could get ten times worse as well.

A sudden gust of wind blew her hair back and Cadence turned to look out the window before shifting her eyes the other way to see Barry inching his way into the room. "I expected to see you on my fire escape and then I remembered we aren't in Central City," she remarked. "God, I wish I was back there right now." She slid onto the floor and Barry eased himself down beside her.

"It's not that bad, Cade," Barry reassured her.

"She insinuated that you can't do your job, that she's ashamed of me not having my high school diploma but a GED, ashamed that I had Brady so early…there's probably plenty more that I've forgotten. By now she has to be telling all of dad's associates and the other gossip moms how I'm friends with people that work for the science company that nearly blew up the entirety of Central City."

Barry licked his lips. "Okay, that's sort of bad." He laughed a little. Out of nerves, probably, but it made Cadence laugh a little bit, too.

It was ridiculous really.

"She has a way of making you feel guilty and cringely embarrassed all at the same time," she said. "It's a talent, really." She blew her hair out of her face and looked Barry in the eye. "But thanks for trying to help." She licked her lips. "You know, for a long time after I moved to Central City I was really lonely. I only had a toddler for company and I didn't go out much. And when I _did_ go out it was hard to meet people; I felt like I couldn't relate to anyone.

"Then I met you guys and I realized that it wasn't that I felt lonely in Central City. It was that I felt lonely in general. I didn't have anyone on my side, not even my mom and dad. And being back here reminded me of that."

Cadence reached up a hand to move her hair from her forehead, but wiped away a falling tear instead. Then another one replaced it, until she was silently crying. She brought her hands up to cover her face and Barry reached over, gently grabbing her shoulder until she leaned over into his lap, sobbing quietly.

Barry gently rubbed her shoulder. "It's okay, Cade. I know exactly how you feel."

Cadence heard him but was crying too hard to answer.

It made her feel better, more importantly it made her feel that they truly did understand each other.

And as he reached his hand down to wipe her tears away, his fingers brushed over hers, setting off the familiar sensation of sparks flying when they touched.

* * *

 **A/N:** I realized I never had Cadence talk much about her life in Central City before meeting Barry and the others and thought it was a good bonding moment for them in this one. And you see a bit more of Cade's conflict with her mother in comparison to her father.

Next chapter moves the pacing along a bit more. I know it's been kind of slow. Not to mention there's going to be fighting in this story even though it's not the focus of it. It can't be a Flash story without some exhibitions of their abilities in fights.

Please remember to review, I'm serious about my writing and my stories, and if you have anything to comment about, anything to mention, or anything to say, I would love to hear it and it motivates me to write more. I respond to every review I get even if it's anonymous.

Also, if you enjoy the story then recommend to others. I know Barry/OC writers are a bit of a small niche lately but I'm sure others would enjoy it. Our stories are generally updated once a week at the least, so look out for an update next week!

 **~Riles**


	7. Chapter 7

**.:7:.**

* * *

"I swear if anyone ever calls me their bae I'd probably burst out laughing," Cisco said, causing Caitlin to laugh. "Then I'd wonder what they see about me that made me good enough to _be_ a bae, but no, that's one thing form pop culture that I cannot get behind."

"It's good to know," Caitlin said, clutching her mug of coffee tighter around her hand. "Because I've questioned a lot about your tastes over the years but I'm glad we're on the same page about that." Cisco held out his mug and clinked it against each other. They looked up as Barry walked into the dining room, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Hey Barry."

"What's up, bro?" Cisco asked, lifting his chin. "You look like you just got hit by a stun gun or something." The he paused, eyebrows coming together. He and Caitlin looked at each other at the same time. "Would a stun gun work on him?"

"You know, I don't know," Caitlin said. Her eyes lit up. "But that would be interesting to test. His molecules and DNA have already changed so much because of the addition of his metahuman DNA. It'd be amazing to see in real-time what happens to his body when he's hit from an outside source of electricity."

"We should test that out. I mean, he's got to have plenty of weapons at his disposal for working at the CCPD. And we already know he can move faster than a bullet."

"I think we have some electrodes that we can use on him back at STAR Labs. I think an extra car battery, too."

Barry then smiled at his friend's excitement over their potential experiments. Then he became a little worried, imagining they'd go so far as to strap him down to a table, put bolts in his neck, and send shockwaves of electricity trough his body as they stood over him, laughing evilly. He wouldn't put it past them. Once Caitlin and Cisco got into their experiments and studies it was hard to get them to stop.

Barry sat down with his friends, running his hands over his face. He tried not to smile. It actually would be pretty cool to test out his limits some more. It was nice to geek out with people sometimes.

"Here's a better question." Cisco slapped his hand down onto the table. "How long does it take for you to navigate this house? We've been here for a week already and I _still_ get lost trying to find my way down here."

"About twenty minutes," Barry said honestly. "And that was before I used my powers." He, Cisco, and Caitlin all started to laugh once more. It was then Barry realized how quiet the house was. "Where is everybody?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Nash went down to the venue that's going to hold the party to get some last minute things set up," Caitlin said. "He said we could make ourselves at home. Mrs. Nash on the other hand…" she sucked in a low breath.

"I thought _Caitlin_ could be cold…but she was just plain icy this morning," Cisco said. Caitlin made a face at him. "I'm being serious. I mean, my parents are cherubs compared to that. Even though they do dote on Dante hand and foot and haven't properly looked at me in the last year. Honestly, I think they forgot they have a second child." He shook his head and changed the subject. "And then Caitlin's mom is just…" he whistled loudly. Caitlin nodded her agreement. "But I literally felt chills this morning when she walked by me."

Barry wasn't sure what to say, honestly. He had his fair share of run-ins with cold people; Captain Singh being the first one. The man could practically stop time with anyone he walked by, an almost permanent scowl on his face. Caitlin was the second one; when they first met she hardly smiled and seemed to think that Barry was a nuisance to have around more than a help to the city. Thankfully since then, Caitlin had warmed up to him and everyone around her and was now one of his best friends.

But other people's parents were harder, especially when feelings started to get in the way. Were you supposed to be respectful or defensive? Quiet or outspoken? Especially since he didn't know her parents at all other than the last week spent in Metropolis. So far Kent had been nothing but inviting and Maya had almost been walking on tip-toes around them. He could sort of understand Cadence's problems not to mention he medical issues they seemed to be avoiding, but he sort of had a intolerance about it as well due to his own issues with his parents.

Plus he had no idea how he was supposed to try and navigate a relationship with someone whose pictures with their ex were still around the house. It seemed that no matter where he turned within the house there was a picture of Cadence when she was a teenager with her arms around Ryder or being piggybacked by him or the two smiling at each other. It was really starting to annoy him…starting to make him a little bit jealous.

"So, what's going on today?" Barry asked, turning his attention back to his friends. He wanted to change the subject to literally anything. The last thing he wanted to think about was how he was about to turn back into the way he was around Eddie and Iris. It had taken long enough to get over that he didn't want to fall into that pit trap again.

"I don't know, I haven't seen Cade all morning," Caitlin said. "She said something about taking us to some other places around Metropolis but I'm not sure what else can be seen that we haven't already."

"Well, we haven't seen Superman yet," Cisco stated. "And I'm not above following him around to see if we can find him."

"He moves faster than a speeding bullet _and_ a train," Barry pointed out. He placed a hand to his chest. "That's even faster than me; I don't think we're going to suddenly run into him on the street. It's not like he's a taxi driver or anything."

"You're The Flash and you masquerade as a forensic scientist, I don't think you have any room to criticize."

"Anyway, Cade says she and Brady will be down in a few minutes," Barry said. "Apparently it takes forever to wake him up in the morning."

He skillfully left out the moment—he wasn't sure if it was really a moment—between him and Cadence. Only because he didn't know what to make of it and knew Cisco would just embarrass him. After waking up earlier that morning—and wandering his way down to the bottom floor—Barry passed by Cadence's room, finding her sitting in the middle of the floor, doing what looked like to be folding laundry violently. He jumped as she flapped a shirt as hard as she could before folding it up.

"What'd the shirt ever do to you?" He joked, walking into the room. (But not before fixing his hair and quickly checking his breath—it didn't smell too bad).

Cadence looked up at him. "It's not the shirt that's the problem it's that." She nodded over towards the closet door and Barry looked over to find a dress hanging over the back of it. Barry couldn't help but grimace as he looked at it; the nicest thing he could think of was that it was very old fashioned. "My mom wants me to wear it for the party."

"Um…" Bringing a hand up, Barry rubbed the back of his neck. "It's…nice?" he tried to say.

"Nice if I were about fifty years old," Cadence said with a light laugh. "So not sexy. But I appreciate your effort to make me feel better." A light laugh escaped her lips. Then she fell silent and Barry knew she was talking about her last confrontation with her parents. "I mean it, Barry. Thank you."

"I didn't really do anything," Barry said.

"You were there. You listened. You did enough." She looked away and Barry could've sworn he saw her blush. "I'm easy to please, the fact that you even thought of me was enough."

Barry was close to admitting that he thought about her all the time. It was hard not to with all the time they spent together. How much he liked to see her smile and greatly enjoyed how outgoing and cheerful she was since first meeting. How he enjoyed being able to make her smile at least once a day.

Close, but he couldn't do it.

Honestly, he was afraid to say anything not just because of potentially ruining their friendship, not just because she already had a lot on her plate, but because he was greatly afraid of being something happening to her. His mother had already been killed and his father sent to jail, his relationship with Iris wasn't as strong as it had been, he couldn't bear to lose anyone else in his life. Every day he and his friends put his life on the line to save everyone and knowing that she and the others were as much targets as he was…

It was a battle he constantly faced. With Iris that had been so afraid to lose their friendship if she said 'no' ruining the last lifetime he had with her. In this case he was putting a lot more on the line.

Barry blinked as Cadence waved her hand in front of his face and he realized he had started to zone out. "Sorry, I, uh, I was just thinking about what we were doing today." He jumped as there was a low banging sound from the other side of Cadence's wall.

She let out a quiet sigh. "That was just Brady. He had a tendency to roll into the wall when he's sleeping." She looked at her watch. "Thankfully he hasn't fallen into the habit of sinking through the bed again. I think my mom and dad would have a heart attack if he suddenly fell through the ceiling."

"More or less than knowing they have The Flash in their house?" Barry shot back.

"Actually, I think they'd enjoy that. They could use you as their personal Sherpa to get the party set up." Cadence teased. She started to laugh. "I can see it now. Before the end of the night you'd be cursing the fact you have your powers."

"No, I'd be hungry," Barry corrected her, laughing a little as well. "I don't regret anything that being The Flash has done for me."

"Nothing at all?"

Barry looked her in the eye. "Nothing at all."

Then there was another banging sound and Cadence sighed as she got to her feet and left the room. Barry left after that, unsure of how the conversation would continue and felt that his entire body was tingling.

"Hi!" Brady said cheerfully as he ran into the kitchen. He skidded across the floor with his socked feet, careening towards the counter. At the last second he phased through the counter and the wall, causing Cisco, Caitlin, and Barry to all start laughing. He ran back through the doorway a second later, stopping at the table. "Guess what?" His eyes flashed brightly. "We're going ice skating!"

"Oh, Caitlin, we're going back to your home!" Cisco declared. Caitlin let out a frustrated sound and tossed a napkin at him. "Are we going to see your ice fortress?" He dodged another napkin. "What about your room? Does it have a bunch of crystal chandeliers?"

With that, Cisco jumped up from the table and started to run as Caitlin, not wearing high heels, chased after him, running at top speed. Cadence jumped out of the way as she came through the doorway of the kitchen and they started around the island. "What's going on?" She asked.

"I told them we're going ice skating and Cisco was making fun of Caitlin for living in a ice castle," Brady dutifully reported.

"It was nice knowing you, Cisco," Cadence commented, lifting her hand in a wave. She laughed as Cisco ducked under the counter where Caitlin couldn't reach him and grabbed onto the chair legs to fend her off.

Brady then turned his attention to Barry and rested his arms on the countertop. "Do you ice skate, Barry?"

"Sort of, I haven't gone in a long time," Barry replied. He thought for a minute. "The last time Joe took me and Iris I don't think my butt ever left the ice, I was constantly falling down." Brady laughed. "Actually, I don't think I was able to sit for a week."

"Well, it's a good thing you heal fast," Cadence remarked.

"Can you ice skate?" Barry asked Brady.

He nodded emphatically. "I'm really good. I wanted to play ice hockey but my mom wouldn't let me." He looked over at his mother and rolled his eyes. Cadence rolled hers in response. "She said it was too dangerous."

"Mm, yeah, mom's can be like that." He jumped as Cadence suddenly snapped her fingers towards Cisco and Caitlin, stating them to 'stop or you'll mess up the floor'. Barry then chuckled and leaned towards Brady, whose eyes were wide. "They can be like that, too," he whispered. "Really uptight."

Brady laughed.

"I heard that," Cadence stated. "You might be able to do everything fast, but you really need to work on your whispering skills. And if anyone's uptight, it's Caitlin."

"I'm _not_ uptight!"

* * *

Barry rubbed his hands together as he stood up from lacing his ice skates together. Then he pulled his hands up into the pocket of his sweatshirt that he brought along as he waited for his friends to get finished. Caitlin was the first one up and ready to go, taunting Cisco as he laced his skates together.

"Are you sure you're not a little too cold, Cisco?" She asked as he made a show of pulling his long hair back into a ponytail and stuffed it under a beanie. "Afraid that you're going to get a bit of frost bite?"

"Sheesh and I thought we bickered," Cadence muttered to Brady, who nodded in agreement.

"This is nothing," Barry said. "You should see what happens when we're play Operation to test my reflexes and brain speed." He stood up, wobbling for a second on his ice skates. "She gets mad every time the game buzzes the second she comes close to touching the sides. Not to mention she thinks it's rigged."

"I don't think it's rigged, I think it's not anatomically correct," Caitlin defended herself. "And it's a stupid game."

"Then why do you insist on playing it?"

"Because I want to win!"

Barry laughed. He turned to look at the skating rink and watched as people of all ages moved around the skating rink. Dressed up in colorful sweatshirts and hats they shifted back and forth across the ice in different levels of skill. Finally, the group made their way onto the ice and started to move around the rink. Caitlin surprised him the most, being the one who was the most skillful out of everyone, making it appear as effortless as walking.

Cisco, on the other hand, had a little bit more difficult, arms wind milling every few seconds. He grabbed onto Caitlin's shoulder to keep himself up, causing Caitlin to laugh victoriously. She reached out her other arm and looped it through Barry's as they went around. Cadence hung back with Brady the first time around, holding onto his hand to be sure he didn't fall as they went.

The next few times they went around they raced each other, fell all over the place, and laughed hysterically as they went. They were having fun, something they weren't able to spend much time doing back in Central City with so many metahumans they had to deal with on nearly a daily basis. Barry hadn't laughed so hard in a long time. He felt free, like himself, and anything but the Flash.

Not that he didn't enjoy his powers and everything he was able to do to save his home but not having the pressure of being the city's beacon of hope was nice. And if that meant he could see Superman in the flesh that'd be just as great. News shots weren't doing it for him anymore.

Feeling something wet smash against the side of his face, Barry followed the sound of laughter and looked over to find Brady holding onto the wall of the ice rink, sliding his skate against the ground to create a pile of snow. He picked it up, molded it together in his hand, and threw it at Barry's face again. This time Barry ducked out of the way and skated across the ice to grab onto the young boy around his waist. He spun him around a few times, tickling him in the stomach, before lowering him back to the ice to skate around again. He looked over as Cisco and Cadence careened by him, both shouting and laughing at the top of their lungs as they half ran, half stumbled around the rink.

Finally, Cadence came up on Brady's other side and grabbed onto his free hand, holding him up between her and Barry. "Having fun?" She asked, a cloud of condensed breath forming in front of her face, cheeks red.

"Are you melting the ice as you go?" Barry asked.

Cadence glanced behind her. "I hope not. Every now and then I can't feel my face." She brought her hand up and pressed her palm against her cheek. Regulating the temperature her cheeks changed back to their normal color. Then she looked at the ice behind her. "I can't imagine what I'd be doing to the ice."

"Making a swimming pool," Brady stated. He laughed and squirmed away as Cadence leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Barry smiled at the two, missing the look Cisco and Caitlin—who were outside the rink—gave Brady before Cisco walked off to get the DJ's attention.

The three continued along until the Lady Gaga song that was playing suddenly shifted to a slower, jazz tune. Brady dug his the picks of his skates into the ice so quickly that he nearly fell over, bringing Cadence and Barry with him. He smiled innocently as they both turned his way.

"Oh, look at that! Couple's skate!" Brady beamed as he moved backwards, forcing Barry's and Cadence's hands together. "Bye!" He quickly turned and made his way off the ice along with the others who didn't have someone to skate with.

"I really need to teach him some tact," Cadence remarked as she started skating again, bringing Barry along beside her. Barry glanced at her, trying to process the obvious setup that had happened. She didn't seem to mind it so much, but then again she did enjoy embarrassing him from time to time. Still, if she wasn't offended by any of it, then that was a good sign. Maybe now he wouldn't continue to move so slowly all the time. "Barry!"

Barry jerked back as Cadence waved her free hand in front of his face. "What?"

"Sheesh, you've been spacing out so much lately," Cadence said, eyebrows lowering in concern. She smiled teasingly, tightening her grip on his hand. Barry felt warmth spread from her hand to his, then sparks tingling over his fingers. "Clearly being the fastest man alive doesn't do much for the way you process information," she teased.

Barry made his wounded puppy face, only slightly offended at her teasing. "I can read an entire bookshelf of books in about two minutes and I have a problem with processing information?"

Cadence smiled. "How much of those books would you remember after ten minutes?"

Barry couldn't help but smile back. "Good point," he agreed. "You know it's really funny, you'd think with being able to process so much information all the time that it would stay in my short term memory and transfer to my long term memory rather than continuously leave my head."

"Then that explains _so_ much."

"Hey!"

Barry shoved her, then quickly regretted it. Cadence fell down onto the ice with a surprised shriek and due to their hands still being intertwined, Barry crashed down to the ice after her. The two laughed as they slowly sat up on the ice, not bothering to get up all the way. Their laughter faded and Barry reached out his hand, to brush some slush away from Cadence's cheek. He paused, resting his hand on her warm face and Cadence turned her head, pressing her cheek further into his palm.

He lowered his gaze to her eyes and noticed that her expression had softened and she looked back at him, barely breathing. As if waiting.

Barry paused for a minute.

Everything that he worried abou; every fear he had shot out of his head as fast as he could run. He felt calm, he was completely comfortable. Instead of feeling he had to go rushing off within a moment's notice he was able to sit back and enjoy the moment. Tilting his head back, Barry started to lean towards Cadence then stopped as his cell phone suddenly rang.

Fumbling for it, Barry pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen. Joe was calling for, apparently, the twentieth time. He had been skating around so much he didn't realize his phone had been ringing. "Sorry, it's Joe, I have to…" he answered the call, unsteadily getting to his feet. And it wasn't just because of the ice below him. "Hey Joe, what's up?" And as Joe explained what was going on in Central City Barry felt his heart drop.

"What?" Cadence asked, watching the expression on his face change rapidly. "What? What's going on?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be back soon. See you." Barry hung up the phone and turned to Cadence. "Do you trust me?"

"One hundred percent," she said automatically.

"Then you have to trust me that I'll tell you when I can but I need to get to Central City _now_." He started to move away then grimaced, turning back to Cadence. She started to say that she'd tell Caitlin and Cisco what was going on but interrupted her, "I don't know…what was happening here but, I liked it. A lot. And I don't want you think I'm trying to get away from you. Because I'm not. I just really need to go."

"Yeah, I get—"

"—And I know that we haven't really talked about this—"

"—Barry—"

"—Because I wasn't really sure if there was anything _to_ talk about—"

"—BARRY!" Cadence reached out and grabbed his face. When she saw she had his attention she flung her arms towards the side with so much force Barry saw shimmering waves of heat radiate off her arms. "Just go!"

Barry nodded and hurried to the opening of the ice rink and moved as fast as he could with skates attached to his feet. Once the coast was clear he raced off to Central City as fast as he could.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yay, a happy chapter…up until Becky had to call. Haha. Talk about a ruined moment. I really liked this chapter despite having written and re-written it about three times.

Check out my new BarryCade one-shot _Chance Encounters_ I put up yesterday.

Please remember to review, I'm serious about my writing and my stories, and if you have anything to comment about, anything to mention, or anything to say, I would love to hear it and it motivates me to write more. I respond to every review I get even if it's anonymous.

Also, if you enjoy the story then recommend to others. I know Barry/OC writers are a bit of a small niche lately but I'm sure others would enjoy it.

 **~Riles**


	8. Chapter 8

**.:8:.**

* * *

Barry skidded to a stop on the front porch of the West house, only seconds away from barging in. Right, Iris didn't know about his secret and if Eddie was there, he didn't know about it either. It would've been suicide to just barge in there. Not just for his secret, but in general. Iris would kill him if she ever found out.

Plus, he still needed to think of an excuse as to why he was back so early. He should've thought of that before running off so quickly. Metropolis was hours away and Joe had only just called him, so what was he supposed to do? Barry reached out his hand towards the doorknob to enter the house. He could think of an excuse quickly, he wasn't The Flash for nothing.

All of a sudden the door flew open and Iris appeared in front of him. The two let out shrieks of surprise before collapsing into relieved laughter.

"Barry, you scared me," Iris said, bringing her hand to her chest. "I saw someone out here on the deck and thought there was a burglar or something."

" _You_ scared _me,_ " Barry replied. He started to mimic her, bringing his hand to his chest, but ran it through his hair instead. If he felt his heart she might've worried about him as he couldn't help but make a face whenever it was beating too fast; especially considering how long he had been in a coma. It seemed that Joe—despite knowing his powers as the Flash—and Iris continually looked at him funny every now and then, checking to make sure he was really there with them. "What are you doing here? Aren't you normally at Jitters or at CPN or…or Eddie's or something?"

Iris planted her hands on her hip as she took a step back to allow Barry into their house. Or was it still _their_ house since she moved out?. "Are you trying to get rid of me?" Barry swallowed hard. This wasn't the conversation he was expected to have. She flashed a teasing smile, letting Barry know everything was okay. "I hate to remind you, Bartholomew, but when _you_ moved out you were here _every_ weekend," Iris commented, following him.

She had a point.

But he needed to do free laundry and his apartment—before moving back in with Joe, wasn't in a good part of town. Even Joe mentioned time and time again how much he didn't like Barry living there by himself. But it was a right of passage—so to speak—and he couldn't live with Joe the rest of his life. At least that was his reasons for moving out in the first place.

"Hey, free laundry is free laundry. Last I checked you didn't have to worry about it in yours and Eddie's apartment." Iris looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Oh come on, you said so yourself. It's one of the best apartments you've ever stayed in. Free laundry, a gym, a pool, everything anyone could ever need."

"Yeah, except for my Dad and my best friend," Iris pointed out. She reached out and lightly punched him on the shoulder. "I come back for you two."

"Well, that must explain why you're always at the CCPD, too," Barry said. He chuckled as Iris punched him again. "Anyway, you still haven't answered my question."

"Family dinner, of course. What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Metropolis?"

Then Iris frowned. "I should as you the same thing, weren't you in Metropolis?"

"Yeah, but, Joe called and there was something I had to do…" Barry said slowly. "Yesterday, I mean. He called me yesterday. And now I'm here."

"Oh, you mean about Becky," Iris said.

Barry's heart crammed into his throat. So it was true, there was something going on with Becky. Enough so that Iris knew about it. But how much? Joe was panicky about it so it had to be something really big. Nevertheless, Iris was looking at him suspiciously, with the same sort of look that she gave whenever he was into someone. (Which, ironically, happened when he started becoming interested in Becky despite Iris not liking her at all).

"Yeah, she's at the CCPD waiting for you," Iris said with a pointed stare.

Barry looked back at her. "What?" He could've sworn Joe said she was at the house. He must've been so worried he got the places to meet mixed up.

"Nothing, just that I remembered you telling me that you weren't trying to get back together with her," Iris said. She tilted her head and looked at him curiously.

"I'm not!"

"So what's going on?"

"I have no idea. Joe didn't say anything?"

"You know my dad doesn't tell me anything. I tried asking him and he said it was police business." Iris shrugged. "Which just makes me worry now that there's _something_ else going on because of her job."

"I don't think she's a drug dealer."

"I didn't say that she was. I was thinking more that she might be in trouble with someone _trying_ to get her drugs or something. Maybe there's a big ring going around Central City or something." Now Iris looked concerned. "It has to be something if you had to be brought back."

"Good point," Barry murmured. He let out a heavy sigh, suddenly frustrated. Not just because of wanting to know what was going on with Becky but because of what he had left as well. The sound of a record scratch shot through Barry's head as he focused on Iris's words. If it was a police thing and Barry had to go back then it had to be meta related. "I'm just going…" he pointed towards the door.

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead," Iris said, waving her arms towards the stairs. "I don't want to get in the way of you and your _friends,"_ Iris pointed out. She turned away from him, brushing her cheek with her shoulder.

Barry took a deep breath through his nose.

"You're my friend too, Iris," Barry insisted. He reached out and grabbed onto her shoulders, gently shaking her. "I just…I really need to take care of this and then we can talk, okay?"

Iris pressed her lips together. "I have to finish dinner." She turned and walked into the kitchen, pulling on a pair of oven mitts as she went.

Barry raced out of the house and to the CCPD where he found Joe and Becky in his lab. He pushed open the door to find Joe standing over Becky as she sat curled up in one of his office chairs.

Her gaze was towards the ground and every few seconds she sniffled. As Barry stepped into the room Becky lifted her head and Barry saw the tear tracks that moved down her cheeks. He immediately became worried and from the way Joe was looking at him it didn't help his worries too much. Had someone died or did she suddenly exhibit some powers in some way.

"I came back as fast as I could," Barry said slowly, narrow in his eyes. He didn't know if Joe had spelled everything out for Beck yet. When Joe shook his head, Barry relaxed and turned towards. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"

"I didn't know who else to talk to," Becky whimpered, lifting her head. She reached up and wiped the tears away. "I…I don't even know how you can help me but you're the first person I thought of. I mean, I don't think there's anyone else that'd understand this. I know we haven't talked in a long time but you're the first person I thought of."

Barry looked into Becky's eyes, feeling something in his chest. On one hand it was nice that she still thought of them when she was in trouble, much like she had when they were dating. Even before they started going out he was the one she went to when trying to figure things out. The first time had been a bit of a fluke, he had been waiting in the lobby of the high school for Joe to pick him up or for Iris to finish her field hockey practice—whichever came first—when he saw Becky at the end of the hallway, fretting about something.

Then she turned and saw him looking at her, making him quickly turn away and focus on his textbook so he could finish his homework. He frowned, finding he couldn't concentrate as she walked closer to him. "Barry?"

He jumped, looking up to find her standing over him. "Oh, B-Becky! Hi!"

"Hi." She smiled; a nervous smile.

"Y-you know my name?"

"Yeah, I know your name. You're in all of my classes. You're the first one with your hand in the air." Becky giggled, hugging her backpack to her chest as Barry smiled and nodded. "Actually, I'm having a bit of trouble I thought you could help me with."

"Me?" Barr blinked rapidly. "Of course, I mean, I guess I could help you. I mean, I _will_ help you if there's anything I can help you…with…" He took a breath to steady himself and smiled. "What do you need?"

"Well, I'm having some trouble with my science grade." She blushed, shrugging her shoulders. "Honestly, it's my worst subject. Like, it's really low. I might have to repeat the class. And if I repeat the class I won't be able to take the science class needed senior year to graduate. So I was wondering if you could help me?"

"Help you?" Barry mentally slapped himself. He had to stop repeating her so much. "Like, tutor you or something?"

"Could you?" Becky reached out and grabbed his arm. "I mean, if you have the time it'd be a great help. You're the best student in our class and if you weren't doing anything else—"she suddenly broke off. "Oh, I'm sorry, am I keeping you from something?"

Barry motioned to his textbook. "Just my homework. But it's not anything I can't put off, if you need help. I could tutor you if you need it."

"Oh, Barry! That'd be a great help!" She reached towards her purse and started to pull out her wallet. "I can pay you for it. Five dollars an hour, maybe? Or more if you'd like?"

He didn't plan on charging her or anyone that asked for his help for tutoring. It took him more than twenty minutes to convince her that he was fine not being paid for his services and that he really did want to help her. They had a runny relationship; she was popular, he wasn't and yet they got along better than he thought they would. And they were happy while the relationship lasted.

He hadn't thought of her much since then, but she clearly thought of him.

"She came into the CCPD screaming for someone to help her," Joe explained. "And was saying something about powers. And with my metahuman task force Captain Singh said I should talk to her. But she kept asking for you."

For me? Barry started to ask the question out loud then turned towards Becky, who listened quietly. He knelt down on the ground in front of her and reached out to touch her, noticing a bolt of lightning that stretched through his fingers. Becky jerked backwards and moved away from Barry when she saw the lightning, her breath suddenly growing heavy. She backed into the corner where his bed met the wall and started at him in shock.

"You're one of them?" She whispered.

"One of who?" Barry asked slowly. He exchanged a glance with Joe, who was now looking at Becky seriously.

"A meta?" Joe insisted.

Becky nodded rapidly, her hair flying into her face. "You're a metahuman. You're just like all of the others." She curled her arms around her legs. "Get away from me. Or just let me go, I promise I won't tell anyone. I just want it all to stop."

Joe reached out his hands, holding them up defensively. He motioned for Barry to take a few steps back and he did as he was told. When Barry was far enough away Joe moved closer to Becky. "Hey, I promise everything's okay here. You're not in any danger." He continued to move towards Becky, who eyed him warily, as if waiting or a second head to pop out of his neck. "I promise." He reached out his hand.

Still sniffling quietly, Becky reached out and grabbed onto Joe's hand. She visibly relaxed when nothing happened and allowed herself to be pulled off the bed. When she was on her feet she used her hands to push her hair from her face. Then after a couple of deep breaths she clasped her hands together in front of her, trembling.

"I don't know what's going on," Becky said slowly, voice trembling. "But since I came back here to Central City a lot of things are going on."

"Strange things?" Barry repeated. "What sort of strange things?"

"When I go to shake someone's hand…I've been burned, I've been shocked, I've had the worst pain imaginable," Becky started to explain. "When I walk down the street things blow up. When I get close to people they suddenly fly into the air." She ran a hand through her hair. "I thought I was imagining things or was in a bad dream or something…but then I remembered there were metahumans around here because of the Particle Accelerator explosion."

"How long has this been happening?" Barry asked. "Were you here when the Particle Accelerator blew?" He held his breath, hoping he was wrong. She had to have been starting her career as a pharmaceutical rep, had to be in a different city, had to be far away when it happened.

"I was visiting my family…" Becky agreed. "But we didn't get hit by it at all. Our house wasn't damaged or anything." She looked back and forth between Barry and Joe. "Did that have something to do with the metahumans?"

A long sigh escaped Barry's lips and he brought his hands up to run through his hair. He rested his palms on his head and started to pace back and forth. His eyes squeezed shut. No. No. No! This couldn't be happening. There were enough people in his life that had been affected by the Particle Accelerator. Enough people that had gone through the pain and suffering of having powers, losing loved ones, and losing life itself if they got caught in the crossfire at the wrong time.

"It has to do with everything," Barry explained. "The metahumans…The Flash."

Joe shot him a look and Barry gave him one back, gently shaking his head. He had to tell her. There was too much at stake if she was a meta too. Though they didn't know that yet, maybe she would trust them more if she knew.

"The Flash became a meta because of the Particle Accelerator?" Becky repeated. She shook her head then shrugged, her eyes welling up once more. "It doesn't matter. If I'm a meta too…there's nothing I can do." She blinked hard, more tears rolling down her cheeks. "I came to the CCPD to turn myself in."

That made Barry blink in surprise. She hadn't done anything wrong.

"Did you rob a bank or something?" Joe pressed.

"No."

"So why do you feel the need to turn yourself in?"

"Because of my…powers? I don't know if they even are powers. But strange things happen, I'm dangerous. I know it. I need to be locked away before someone gets hurt."

Barry licked his lips and took a step towards Becky, who stepped back. Barry stopped; holding up his hands like Joe had done before. "Becky, no one's going to get hurt."

"They will! It's like…people can't handle themselves to use their powers around me!"

A light bulb went off in Barry's head. That was it! She had the power to have other metahumans lose their inhibitions with their powers. That's why he had used his powers while at the park, while he had lost control when he was with her at the diner; his hand vibrating rapidly, using his powers to keep dishes from falling to the floor, the lightning bolt that happened every time he was near her. And if it worked on him then that's what was working on the people around her; why she couldn't shake hands or come near anyone.

No wonder she wanted to turn herself in. She had to feel so lonely and scared, wanting nothing more than to have everything stop. But Iron Heights was worse than the Pipeline and even more worrying. And she hadn't committed a crime, turning herself in would be worse than staying under STAR Labs. At least at STAR Labs she would be fed twice a day. But not much better could be said about that.

"Then that must be what your power is," Barry said. He dropped his hands from his head. "I know it's hard to understand, it's hard to explain to. But when the Particle Accelerator blew up there was a release of elements and energy and dark matter…" he trailed off, noticing she was already starting to become confused. "In that blast your DNA was affected and you developed powers. It's sort of like…a metahuman detector." He smiled a little at his joke.

Joe nodded, rubbing his chin. "Never thought I'd see the day. I always thought that the powers were some sort of a physical thing."

Becky shook her head. "It's not just…it's not just being able to see the powers the metas have. It's…if I ever do get to touch them I can sort of…get a reading on them. Like, in my head I see it as a power bar. I've see people with ones, I've seen people with twos and threes. I've only ever seen one person as a four." Her eyes trailed over to Barry. "You."

Barry held his breath.

"I've seen your power, you can do electricity or—or something," Becky said. She shuffled her feet. "At the diner. I saw it that day. You have powers too."

Barry's mouth went dry. He closed his eyes and let out a calming breath. Then he turned to face Becky. "That makes sense," he said slowly. "Because I'm The Flash."

"The Flash?" Becky repeated.

Barry nodded. Becky's eyebrows came together and he thought for a moment, trying to figure out what he could do to prove to her he was The Flash. Then his eyes looked around his lab; it was pretty messy and Captain SIngh had been getting on him about cleaning it up. (Even if should've been allowed to leave it any way he wanted). Quick as a flash Barry shot through the room, cleaning everything up, causing Becky's hair to fly as she watched him.

He came to a stop, straightening his clothes as he watched Becky's eyes widen.

"You're…you're really the Flash?" She breathed. Barry pressed his lips together and nodded. He expected her to be mystified, maybe even a little scared, but with his revelation she seemed to have relaxed. Brushing away the rest of her tears she managed a chuckle. "I always knew you were destined for great things Barry, but this."

"I promise, Becky, nothing's going to happen to you," Barry said. His mind swirled with the possibilities if enough people found out about her powers; Captain Cold and Heatwave, the Reverse-Flash, Grodd…if any of them found out about her it'd be catastrophic. "We just need to make sure that you're safe and we're going to do that."

"Do you have a safe place to stay?" Joe asked, lowering his voice to a soothing tone.

"A hotel…" Bringing her hands up to her forehead, Becky thought hard. "I mean, I'm staying with my mom and dad while I'm here in Central City. But I live in hotels cause I travel so much."

"Maybe it's better if we let Dr. Wells know about this," Barry suggested. "She could stay at STAR Labs." Joe looked skeptical. "The security's tight. No one's going to know she's there."

"No!" Becky protested eyes suddenly wild with fear and apprehension. "You can't tell anyone. I don't want anyone else to know." She turned pleading eyes to Barry. "Please, don't tell anyone. I…I just want to be normal. I just want to know how to stop…how to stop hurting people."

"You're not—"

"Every person that I've accidentally revealed, there's been something on the news about the incidents. People are getting scared." Becky continued to look at her ex-boyfriend. "Send me away, take away my powers, anything just…I don't want them to be scared of me, too."

Barry placed his hands on his hips as he thought about it. He really did need to tell Dr. Wells, Cisco, Caitlin, and Cadence about Becky and her newfound powers. But he also needed to get her to trust him so that when they _did_ find out, she'd be able to trust the rest of them, too. To trust them to figure things out.

It wouldn't hurt to keep it quiet for a few days.

Just until everything died down.

Barry nodded.

He'd keep her secret.

* * *

It was a few hours after Barry left that he returned to Metropolis. Instead of racing into the house he stopped on the street out front. The cherry on top of the day would be if he accidentally revealed himself by running into the house without a care in the world—as he almost did with Iris.

 _Iris._

Barry squeezed his eyes shut. He had forgotten to go back and talk to her. And she _had_ seemed really upset. Cadence had asked if she wanted to go to Metropolis with them but she had turned the down saying she couldn't get out of work. That was plausible; she hadn't been working there long and knew there was a sort of pecking order before you could ask for time off.

Still, things hadn't been the same between them since he got his powers and had a whole other life to keep from her. He made a promise to himself that he would start hanging out with her more often when they got back from Metropolis.

"Are you waiting for something?" Caitlin's voice called over to him. Barry turned and spotted Cadence and Caitlin sitting on the steps of the front porch, a blanket wrapped around their shoulders. She gave him a knowing smile. "Waiting for something to happen? You've really got your heroics down don't you?"

Barry managed a smile back as he walked towards them. "Where is everyone?" He looked up as the sound of gun blasts and bombs going off seconds before he heard Cisco's cheering and Brady's whining. "Never mind, I think I found them." He walked closer to the house. "Were you waiting for me?"

"The entire world doesn't revolve around you and The Flash, Tholly," Cadence said teasingly. She motioned with her hand, still covered by the blanket. "I'm waiting for my mom and dad. They went out on a walk. We always used to go out for a walk at this time every day."

"Oh?" Barry tried to keep the surprise out of his voice. Ever since their argument Cadence hadn't said a thing about them or to them other than stiff 'good mornings' and 'yes', 'no', and 'maybes'.

"I may be mad at them, but I'm not heartless," She explained. "They went out on a walk and I want to make sure they're okay. Strange things happen in Metropolis after the sun goes down." She wiggled her fingers and made a 'ooooh' sound, mimicking that of a ghost.

"Metas?" Caitlin asked.

"People affected by meteor rock mostly," Cadence explained. "Kryptonians, things like that." She said it so blasé that Barry couldn't help but smile a little. "Superman could probably handle it but I've got it on good authority that he'll let us know if he needs help."

Barry nodded again. Then he realized his error and took a step back. "Was I interrupting something?"

"No, we were just talking about what we're wearing to the party tomorrow night," Caitlin explained. She stood up, dropping the blanket from around her shoulders, rubbing her arms. "But it's starting to get a little chilly, so I was just about to head inside." She looked over at Cadence and laughed, noticing the fire metahuman wrapped herself up into a burrito with the space in the blanket.

Barry smiled and nodded.

"Oh." Caitlin turned back to him, eyebrows lowering to show the sense of concern only she could muster. "How's everything back in Central City?"

"Huh?" Oh. Right. That. Barry looked away from Cadence and faced her. "Yeah, things are fine. It was just a…Joe had some issues with the metahuman task force that he needed me to go back to check out."

"Dr. Wells said he would call if there was something meta related going on," Caitlin said. She pulled out her phone to look at the darkened screen. "Maybe I should call him to make sure everything's okay." Cadence let out a snorting sound and Caitlin pursed her lips, gently whacking her on the arm. Then she turned away from Barry, hoping he didn't notice her blush.

"No! No, it was a police thing," Barry said.

Now Cadence looked concerned. "And Joe didn't need my help, too?"

"Well, I-I mean, it's not like we actually work together. At the CCPD. We do at STAR Labs because we're partners and everything. Just not at the CCPD." Barry coughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Everything's fine. I promise."

Just like he promised Becky.

"Okay." Caitlin was slow in putting her phone away. "Well, I'm going to head inside. Maybe I can get Brady to teach me that game so we can beat Cisco." She bid the two good night and Barry moved to sit by Cadence on the front porch.

"So everything's okay back there?" Cadence pressed. "For real?"

"For real," Barry agreed. "I didn't want to risk it, even if it was something as small as a bank robbery. If they think The Flash is gone then who knows what could happen back there." Then he made a face. "Though it seems like the all want to suddenly stop attacking things since we're not there."

"Hey, everyone deserves a vacation, even if it's an entire city," Cadence teased. She snuggled closer into her blanket, and then popped her head back out, blowing her hair from her face. "Though right now I wouldn't mind being back there."

"Well, you invited us out here to keep you company so it's not a complete loss is it?" Barry reminded her. He cleared his throat, shifting closer towards her. "I mean, after having to miss out on ice staking and everything."

"And Cisco totally eating it as he drove the Zamboni." Cadence laughed. "Somehow he convinced the owner of the rink to let him try it out, maybe to try and Cisco it, and he took out an entire wall and part of the surrounding bleachers."

"Wish I could've seen it."

A comfortable silence fell between the two. Barry pressed his palms together then drummed his hands on his legs. The he stretched out his legs, resting his palms on the concrete of the steps and leaned forward. "So…about what happened earlier…at the ice rink?"

"Uh-huh?"

Barry chewed his lower lip. "Uh, if you…if you don't have someone to go to your dad's party with, I could go with you. I mean, we could go together, if you want."

In the silence that stretched after his suggestion Barry's heart beat the fastest it ever had. And without looking at her, maybe he could sense her elation; he could tell Cadence was smiling. But then she said, "I don't know, I remember someone saying they don't dance and there's usually a lot of dancing at these things."

"I make good conversation; within the last year I've done a lot of traveling in a short amount of time so I can talk about that." Barry smiled as he stretched out his legs, crossing them at the ankle. "Parents usually love me; apparently I'm very non-threatening." The two laughed. "I've been to enough policeman's balls to know where to rent a tux in a short amount of time and I can slow dance. Now, I think those are my bet qualities but I think that's up to everyone else's opinion."

"I don't know." Cadence pretended to think. "What happens if something comes up?"

"Then I'll rush back. I can't leave my partner alone to fend off the wolves, can I?"

"Mm. Seems to me that I'm the only one that already wants the night to be over."

Barry shrugged and turned to look at her, finding her already looking back at him. "Trust me…some things you don't want to rush."

Cadence smiled and opened he blanket, draping it over Barry's shoulder so the two were underneath it. "I'm wearing red. So you'll need a tie to match."

"That's fine," Barry said with a warm smile. "Red's my color."

* * *

 **A/N:** And now some background with Barry. Next chapter has to do with the Nash party where some familiar faces will pop up and there'll be a metahuman fight in that one as well. I said there would be some in this story and I'm keeping that promise; you'll see a familiar face there as well. ;) I've also (fingers crossed) have a update to _Fuel to the Fire_ coming tomorrow.

Also, in reference of when this happens, it takes place during _Crossfire._ Realizing some things I had planned for _Fuel to the Fire_ makes sense in terms of what happens here. That being said you don't have to read the others to understand this just as you don't have to read this to understand my _The Flash and The Flame_ series. I usually explain things in quick paragraphs when the time comes so it's not too confusing.

Thanks to everyone who have favorite and reviewed. I'm always open for suggestions as the story goes on. Annie L – I tried doing what you suggested for this chapter but let me know if that's what you mean or if there's something else you wanted talked about. Otherwise you may need to read _Flash Fire, Crossfire, and Fuel to the Fire_ to get a better idea of her feelings about Barry's friendships.

 **~Riles**


	9. Chapter 9

**.:9:.**

* * *

Cadence watched as Caitlin fussed with her hair. She stood in the floor length mirror and continued to run her fingers through the waves and curls that framed her face. Every few seconds Caitlin would stop and examine herself in the mirror before making a face and starting to do it all over again.

A smile came to Cadence's face. Already dressed and ready to go she had offered to do Caitlin's hair and makeup for her. And it seemed that no matter what Cadence had chosen, Caitlin found something she didn't particularly like.

"You'd think you'd never gone to a big, networking party before," Cadence teased.

Caitlin shook her head. She took a step back and faced Cadence, anxiety written on her face. "Not like this. The last party I went to was when we were turning on the Particle Accelerator. And, as we all know that didn't turn out so well."

"Cait, my dad works in advertising, not in science. I can guarantee that nothing is going to blow up." Cadence pressed her hands into Caitlin's shoulders and forced her back down into the wooden chair pulled up in front of the mirror. "Well, something might. With all of the alcohol that flows through these things a single burnt out bulb could blow the reception hall sky-high."

"Very funny." Caitlin teased.

Cadence chuckled to herself and reached out, gently grasping Caitlin's chin. She turned it back and fort for a second before picking up her makeup palette again. "You're worrying too much."

"Or worrying for you," Caitlin said.

"Who's worrying? All I have to do is go and fake smile, eat, and pretend that people in the room aren't actually staring at me."

"Oh good, you're dressed," Maya said as she breezed into the room. Like Cadence she was dressed as well in a top of the line designer dress and matching jewelry. She smiled pleasantly at the two young women. "Well, your father and I are heading out and we'll see you when you get there."

"Okay, mom," Cadence replied.

Maya moved to give her daughter a kiss on the side of the head, then stopped. Almost as if an invisible force field held her back. If not Cadence's silent warning not to do it. If she was kissed on the side of the head, she probably would've exploded. How could she sit back and do everything she used to when she was a little girl; kiss her on the side of the head, stroke her hair, as if she hadn't made her cry a couple of days ago.

Maya smoothed out an imaginary line in her dress and smiled at Caitlin. "I'm glad that you all decided to come out here and help us celebrate. We've wanted to get to know Cadey's friends for so long."

"We're glad to be here," Caitlin replied.

"And I apologize for being so forthcoming on my thoughts of your professions a few days ago," Maya continued. "After hearing about the accident and knowing of those metahumans that continue to run around over there, I sometimes wonder of the safety of being there."

"Well, we have the Flash and Flare and they're doing a great job to make sure that we're all safe," Caitlin said. She smiled warmly at Maya. "I promise you I wouldn't want to live anywhere other than Central City. But being able to come to Metropolis has been a great treat as well."

Cadence made a face as she continued to fix up Caitlin's makeup but didn't say anything more. At least, not until Maya had left the room. "Well, you and my mom seem to get along just fine. Thankfully I've perfected my fake-smile from watching her."

"She's not that bad, Cade," Caitlin pointed out.

"Well, you haven't been around long enough for her to nit-pick everything in your life until you're filled with nothing but doubts. So you should consider yourself lucky."

Caitlin reached out and grasped onto Cadence's wrist with such power that she immediately stopped. Tilting her head back, Caitlin looked Cadence in the eye as she said. "Cade, you greatly underestimate how much your mother loves you."

"I seriously doubt that. She couldn't wait to get rid of me." Cadence sighed and crossed her arms. "We've never had a good relationship and I'm not expecting it to be better now."

"No, _my_ mom and I have a terrible relationship. Ever since my dad died when I was little I haven't had a mom. I've basically raised myself. She never called on my birthday or just to say 'hi'. I haven't, willingly, talked to her in years." Caitlin lowered her head, reaching up to press her fingertips to the ring that sat on her left hand. "She didn't even know about Ronnie and I dating or even becoming engaged because she was too into her own world. I bet I could've had kids that grew up not knowing her because she wants absolutely nothing to do with me. It's like…ever since I was born she's always been so cold to me. And I wouldn't wish that on anyone else."

She continued before Cadence could say anything more.

"And look at this." Caitlin stood up and motioned around Cadence's room. "They haven't touched your room since you left. You still have a room here, a place to stay. They could've turned it into an office or a workout room, or even a guest bedroom but they kept it. For _you_. If that's not them still caring, I don't know what is. I know it's hard for you to trust people,"—she ignored Cadence's pointed look—"but I'm asking you to trust me. Talk to your mom, I know it's going to do both of you some good."

Cadence twisted her mouth to the side. Then she closed her eyes, letting out a long breath. She hated it when she was wrong. And knew that she probably was wrong. But she couldn't help it. Nearly every time she was around her mother she knew she turned into a sixteen year old brat, spurned by the anger that she thought she had gotten rid of ages ago. Still, if she wasn't able to say anything, to confront it soon, the night would be ruined.

At least her own mood would have been.

Finally, she opened her eyes and looked at Caitlin, who was looking back at her. "Do you already have to be so good with people?" She asked.

Caitlin smiled modestly. "Must be my bedside manner, they can't teach that in school."

"Must be why I've managed to get kicked out of residency," Cadence muttered.

"That's the thing." Caitlin reached out and grabbed onto Cadence's hand. "You're destined for bigger and better things. You save lives every day, even if it's not the way you've always wanted to do it. If you were still a medical student you wouldn't be doing such amazing things to save Central City time after time. You care about people more than I've ever seen and you risk your life each time." She laughed. "If that's not bedside manner on steroids, I don't know what is."

Cadence grasped Caitlin's hand tighter and pulled her to her feet, giving her a strong hug. "Thanks, Caitlin."

"You're welcome." Caitlin rubbed her back. "I know what it's like to have a family fall apart; I don't want it to happen to you, too."

Cadence pulled back and she noticed the strange looked Caitlin gave her, suddenly realizing they were closer height to each other. "Stilettos," she explained, pointing to her high heels. "There are a lot of things that I don't always like about being home, and the constant short jokes are one of them." She left her room and headed towards her parents' room. She found them in the doorway and couldn't help but smile as she watched her father calmly smooth out his suit while her mother fretted over his tie.

"But did you have to pick that tie?" She was asking as Cadence approached.

Kent shrugged, sliding his hands into the pockets of his pressed slacks. "I figured, where I'm going, it doesn't matter what tie I wear. So why should it matter now?"

Maya playfully swatted him on the shoulder. Her smile faded a little as she turned to face Cadence. "Is something wrong?"

"I just wanted to talk to you about something," Cadence said slowly. She thought about what Caitlin said and grew a bit braver. Her parents had made her decisions for most of her life and she just went along with them. She wasn't going to do that any longer, not when she had been on her own long enough and had her own life. "I guess…" she steeled herself.

"Cadence," Maya said firmly. As if she already knew what Cadence was going to say.

 _She probably does,_ Cadence realized. As much of a daddy's girl as she was, her mother still seemed to have the uncanny ability to know when her daughter had something she wanted to talk about even _before_ she knew what it was. _Don't let it stop you now. It's been long enough, you need to say this._ "Why is it that you can talk about everything else but what we really need to talk about."

"Cadence Michelle," Maya said. She took a deep breath to steel herself. "This is supposed to be a night for your father and you insist on ruining it by—"then she stopped. "Okay, you want to talk about it. I'm worried about my image because I'm trying to hold onto everything that will make me forget that my husband, your father, is dying! I'm not someone that wants other people's pitying looks and words so I stay strong for everyone around here even though I'm dying on the inside. I've lost my daughter, my grandson hardly knows me, and I'm going to lose my husband, soon, too."

"It started before I got pregnant, mom," Cadence said. "When I got my powers."

There.

She finally said it.

Finally got it out in the open. All of the resentment she felt towards her parents hadn't started when she got pregnant, though that was the catalyst. Having to be treated differently because of her powers made things hard; she remembered the sudden shift in the way they acted around her. Didn't hold hands as much, not as many hugs, reminded her to stay as 'normal' as possible. Told to focus her attention on her school work and extra-curricular activities.

"What did you expect me to do? I had an eight year old girl who suddenly had powers and I didn't know what to think. Nothing like that had ever happened before. Was I supposed to let you keep using your powers and have people treat you like some sort of a pariah? Then to know on top of that you had gotten pregnant? I understand that I went the wrong way about everything that's happened with us but tonight is about your father and I'm trying to hold onto something happy."

It was the first time in a long time that Cadence got a good look at her mother and saw her for who she really was. A person. Not just her mother, not just someone who made mistakes, but as a person who was clearly holding a lot of stress, fear, and sadness that she wasn't letting anyone else see. But continued to be strong for her husband, supporting him through everything.

Maya looked at Kent and straightened his tie one last time. Then she took a deep breath and patted her hair back into place. "Now if you'll excuse me." She brought a hand up to her cheek and stalked down the hallway, her high heels clacking along the hardwood floor as she went.

"Dad," Cadence said slowly. "How do you deal with mom being so…strong all the time?"

"Easily. Because I love her," Kent said simply. He put his arm around her shoulders. "And I love you. We all make mistakes, Cadey. I've made mine and you forgave me for that. And for what? Because I'm sick." Cadence frowned. It wasn't the _only_ reason why—it was hard to stay mad at him-but a big reason. "You need to cut your mother some slack; she's doing the best she can despite the circumstances. The thing is, you remind me of her more and more every day." Kent reached out and kissed Cadence's temple. "And I mean that in the best way possible. I'll see you over there, okay?"

Cadence nodded. She rubbed her hand over her face as she heard the front door open and close. She dropped her hands and grabbed her arms, hugging them to herself. Powers aside, it was the weakest she had ever felt and knew she had brought it upon herself. Guilt gnawed at her stomach, not as strong and piercing as before, but still there.

"Mom? Can you help me?"

Cadence turned around to find Brady walking her way, frowning deeply as he held up a tie in his hand. She laughed and took the tie from him. Leave it to Brady to put her in a better mood. _I bet being home is this for mom and dad,_ Cadence thought. She shook the thought away and asked, "What's up?"

"Can you help me bury that?" Brady asked. "If not burn it."

Cadence laughed again. "Why? Do you not like it?"

"No! I hate wearing ties. Why do I have to wear a tie?"

"Because it's called a _black-tie_ event, not a _black-pants_ event, bud." Brady's face screwed up into a comical expression of discontent. "And yes, before you ask, you have to wear a tie." His pout deepened even further. "Okay, how about a compromise? Would a bow-tie be better?"

"Yes." Brady took the tie back from his mom and looked at her curiously. "Mom? Why do you look so sad?"

Cadence gave him a slow smile. He was only nine years old and somehow managed to surprise her day after day. "Because I realized how much of a pain in the ass I can be. Sometimes I forget I'm someone's kid, too and that parents are never perfect."

Brady smirked. "I could've told you that."

"Go!" Cadence turned Brady around and swatted him on the butt.

She glanced at her watch, noting it was time to go. The sound of a door opening caught her attention and she turned just in time to see Barry step out of the bathroom, holding a towel around his waist. A mountain of steam cascaded out from behind him which Cadence quickly dissipated by curling her fingers into a fist.

Surprised, Barry looked to find the source and his jaw dropped slightly as he locked eyes with Cadence. Then quick as a flash the door to his and Cisco's room was slamming shut as the accompanying gust of wind blew Cadence's hair out of her face.

She smiled to herself as she finally went back to her room. She thought about what her father had said; he easily got over how strong her mother could be simply because he loved her. Maybe that had been her problem. She wouldn't allow herself to love her parents because of the strong front she put up, showing she wouldn't allow herself to be hurt again. She had been hesitant to trust people for the same reason.

But now that she got things out in the open with her parents, she could be open in all other areas of her life, too.

* * *

Cisco whistled appreciatively as he, Caitlin, Barry, Brady, and Cadence stepped out of the limo that pulled up to the front of Metropolis Museum of Natural History, seeing all of the well dressed men and woman as they practically glided up the steps to go inside.

"And I thought Bruce Wayne could throw a party," he commented, looking around. His eyebrows rose as Barry turned his way. "And trust me when I say I've tried using Dr. Wells's connections to try and get into a Bruce Wayne party."

"Does Dr. Wells know him?" Barry asked.

"No," Caitlin commented. "But Cisco likes to think anyone with a sense of wealth does."

Cadence laughed. "Come on or we'll be late." She looked up as Barry held his arm out to her and she smiled, hooking her arm through his. Butterflies erupted in her stomach as she did so, like flames licking at the heels of kindling.

He smiled back at her, the same way he had when he saw her in her dress, makeup, and heels to go out. (Not including when she caught him coming out of the shower). It was the same sort of look that a crush would give their crushee when waiting to take them to the Prom or any other similar event. And she couldn't help but get butterflies when she saw him dressed up in his tux, looking a little flustered. The way he pulled at the neck of his dress shirt before straightening Brady's bowtie as he stood proudly beside him made her feel the most comfort she had in a while.

Then she saw the way Cisco was looking at Caitlin and she knew she was going to have fun that night. No matter what happened.

Cadence hooked her arm through Barry's and led the way towards the steps of the museum. "So why are they holding the party here?" Barry asked.

"Because the Superman Museum was already booked tonight."

"Hmm, that's an idea," Cisco said. With his right arm hooked through Caitlin's he held his left one in the air, as if reading off a headline. "A Flash Museum! Where there are exhibits of his battles, and then a gallery for all of his enemies. We can put the Cisco Treadmill in there, and different weapons—"

"Hmm, like the Heat and Cold guns?" Caitlin teased.

"You can put my slingshot in there," Brady offered.

"Or maybe put a statue out front so Barry can get an even _bigger_ head than he already has," Cadence added. She stuck her tongue between her teeth as she smiled at him.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen," Barry said.

"What, like you really wouldn't want a museum about yourself," Cisco said. He rolled his eyes as Caitlin giggled. "Well, we can't all be Superman. Even if he is so cool."

"Okay, I can agree with you on that," Barry said.

The group walked into the museum and was immediately bombarded by the sound of a crowd of people talking in a very wide space. Cadence looked around, impressed. Her mother had done a great job with the decorations that day. Nash Advertising's colors of gray and white were prominent throughout the tables with bursts of color coming from the flower centerpieces and the dessert table.

"There's no kids here," Brady whined as he stuck by Cadence's side.

"That's alright. Mom told me that we'd be sitting together so you're going to be hanging out with the cool kids," Cadence reassured him. She looked up just as an older latino man with graying hair excitedly headed her way. "Lana! It's been so long, how are you?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Cadence could see Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin looking at her funny. "Sorry, Mr. Hernandez, I'm Cadence. Not Lana."

"Of course, of course!" He held up a hand in apology. "I'm sorry, I should have you two sorted out by now. I'm sure you get it all the time."

"You have no idea," Cadence replied. "But I heard she's still in Africa."

"Yes, yes and we're all so proud of her. And proud of you as well. Going off to Central City and making a great name for yourself. Your mother and father have certainly been bragging about you. It's great to see that you've come back to Metropolis to help Kent celebrate his 25 years."

"We're glad to be here to celebrate," Cadence said smoothly. She motioned to her friends. "These are my friends Barry Allen, Cisco Ramon, and Caitlin Snow. Mr. Hernandez had been working as my dad's accountant until he retired a few years ago."

"No better man to work for," Mr. Hernandez replied. Then he noticed Brady. "And this can't be little Braden. I haven't seen you since you were this tall." He held his hand a few feet above the ground.

"I like to go by Brady," he corrected. Brady's eyes scrunched up. "Have we met before?"

"Twice."

Cadence didn't feel the need to explain that it was when she and her parents were figuring out what money Cadence would have moved to her banking accounts when she was first moving to Central City on her own.

"Well, you have a great time tonight. All of you."

"Thank you."

Cadence led the way across the floor once more, stopping every once in a while to point some people out. "That's Mayor Fleming. She got voted in a few years ago. So far she's doing a great job, from what I've heard. That's some of the press from the Daily Planet, and I think Lex Luthor is supposed to be here,"—she noticed Cisco perk up—"but don't quote me on that, I'm not so sure about it." Cisco immediately deflated once more.

"Don't worry about it, Cisco," Caitlin reassured him. "I'm sure you're going to meet someone famous enough."

"It seems like everyone here is famous," Barry murmured.

"My dad worked with a lot of different clients in a lot of different areas." She then noticed Barry looking at her. Cadence's eyes shifted back and forth. "What?"

"Nothing," he said quickly. "It's just…before coming back here, when you used to talk about your mom and dad, I don't know…you'd be really tense about it. Now you sound really proud."

Shrugging, Cadence continued to point out other things about the extravagant venue. She didn't want to get into it yet, it wasn't the right time. "Live music is always played at these things," she said, motioning to the jazz band that was playing. "Best food served. Open bar, too. So I should probably be careful if someone gets too close. They like to keep people drunk so they donate more money to these things and—"

"And yes, they will still card you at the bar."

The group turned as Oliver Queen came to a stop behind them. A smile was on his face, a pleasant change than from the intense scowl he usually held while saving his home of Starling City.

"Hey, Oliver," Barry greeted him, holding out his hand.

Oliver held out his and grasped Barry's, firmly shaking it. "It's nice to see you, Barry. It's nice to see all of you."

"I didn't know you were coming," Cadence remarked.

"Well Nash Advertising has worked well with Queen Industries over the years and I know my mother would work through any cosmic force to kill me if I didn't attend," Oliver explained. His eyes moved over the group for a moment. "If I knew you were coming I could've joined in on your group date."

"Oh! No!" Cisco immediately broke in, holding up a hand. "This isn't…it's not…it's more like a whole group, cohesive unit thing." He started to lace his fingers together. "You know, a group…chill, hang thing."

Brady tilted his head to the side. "Cisco, stop being a dork."

"Ok, got it," Cisco said. He didn't seem undeterred as everyone laughed.

Cadence looked over at Barry, who pulled at the collar of his shirt once more. "Uh, so, Oliver. Did you come here with Felicity?" Oliver blinked rapidly, clearing his throat, and Caitlin elbowed Barry in the side. "Ow! What? What'd I say?"

"Actually, Felicity came with her boyfriend, Ray Palmer," Oliver explained, almost stumbling over the word.

Cadence was about to ask when that happened, having seen the chemistry that she and Oliver had when trying to stop the Suicide Squad and Assassination Bureau months before. "So did you come here with anyone or…?"

"Yes, actually," Laurel Lance said as she came up behind Oliver. She smiled at him, gently swatting him on the shoulder. "And it seems that he was so excited to say 'hi' that he left me behind."

Oliver smiled innocently. "I knew you'd catch up at some point. You always do."

Laurel chuckled then turned to the others. "It's good to see you guys again. Cisco, you look very nice."

"Yeah, thanks," Cisco managed to say after a second of stammering.

"It's good to see you, too, Laurel." Caitlin was the one to initiate the greeting hugs between all of them. Laurel laughed as Brady grabbed her around the waist and hugged her tightly then cautiously reached out his hand to shake Oliver's, who shook it fondly. "Are you guys sitting at our table?"

"Yes, we already found our nametags and everything," Laurel said. She looked around the room. "Reminds me of the shindigs that the Queens would put on. I always felt a little out of place. Then again, not as many people are as used to this as the Queens are."

"We get it, Laurel, I was spoiled rotten," Oliver said.

"So'm I," Brady piped up, making everyone laugh again. "Can we eat now?"

"Yeah, looks like the first round of food is coming around." Cadence dropped her arm from Barry's and grasped Brady's shoulders. "And I'm going to make sure you get there without running to the dessert table first."

"Aww." Brady's shoulders slumped as he was steered off.

For the next half hour the crowd mingled, eating hors d'oeuvres and talked to each other, waiting for the event to start. Cadence, Oliver, and Laurel were deep in a conversation about some of the older part goers they had known since they were young when Barry cleared his throat before tapping Cadence on the shoulder, holding out his hand.

Cadence smiled and took it and the two went out on the dance floor. Barry moved one hand to Cadence's waist and used the holder to hold her hand as they gently swayed to the jazz music. Cadence rested her free hand on his shoulder. "So, what do you think so far?"

"Honestly?"

"Yeah."

"This doesn't really seem like you," Barry admitted. "I mean, I get it in terms of you having a certain taste about things sometimes. But events like this doesn't really seem like you."

"It's not," Cadence agreed. "I've always been bored when going to these things. Mostly because I hated having to dress up for them. Don't get me wrong, I can't resist a nice dress, but jeans and sneakers and I'm good. It just goes with the lifestyle." She thought back to what her mom had said before and let out a quiet sigh.

Barry immediately noticed. "Is everything okay?"

Geez he was really perceptive. _It must be his speed thing,_ Cadence thought. _He sees everything slowly._ "Better now," she said honestly.

"That's good, because I was starting to wonder if you were going to have _any_ fun while you were here. Like, maybe regretted deciding to come back."

"I always have fun when you guys are around. My life would be immensely boring without you guys. Especially Cisco, I mean,"—she rolled her eyes—"It's not a date, it's a group, hang, chill thing." She lowered her voice to mimic Cisco's, making the two laugh.

Barry laughed with her. Then he lowered his gaze. "I, well, I know you invited us as a group. But I, uh, I wasn't…I didn't—"

"—didn't mean to ask me out?" Cadence interrupted.

"Yeah, no, I mean. I, yeah. Yes! I wanted to I-I did!" Barry took in a deep breath. "I mean, you look amazing tonight, Cade."

"Thanks, Tholly," Cadence said softly.

"I meant it. And the thing is that I've always noticed it and I know that my timing is never that great, ironically enough."

"Actually, I think your timing is spot on."

Barry smiled. He pulled Cadence a little closer. He could feel her pulse through her hand as it warmed in his. "I really like hanging out with you, you're a great friend. More than a friend, actually. And I was thinking we could—"

There was a sudden pulse of energy that crashed into the two. Cadence felt her feet start to slide out from beneath her and she instinctively crouched low to keep her balance. Barry grabbed onto her arms and crouched with her as the two turned to see the source of the sudden disturbance.

An African-American man stood at the side of the room with a gun in hand, moving it back and forth across the room. Beside him was standing by him, sending out blasts from his eyes that continued to knock people over send glasses and dishware to the ground, accompanying the screams of frightened party-goers. A bigger man raced forward to subdue them but the man sending out the eyeblasts grabbed him with one hand to the chest and flung him aside.

"A meta?" Barry asked.

Cadence's eyebrows came together. "I thought they were only in Central City."

"So did I."

"I'm sure you all know what Mr. Martin and I've come here for!" The African-American man shouted. "We've got some of Metropolis's richest here tonight. Empty your wallets and everything will be okay!"

Around them everyone started to do as they were told. Cadence looked up at Barry before the two looked around the room. They locked eyes with Oliver and slowly started to make their way back out of the room, moving quietly. The two men started to move through the room, taking all of the money and jewelry that was taken out for them.

With the attention away from them, Barry, Oliver, and Cadence hurried out into a back stairwell. Cadence grabbed the railing to keep herself from falling as she moved to keep up with them.

"Do we have an ID on any of them?" She asked Oliver as soon as they came to the landing.

"Joseph Martin and Robert DuBois, also known as Atomic Skull and Bloodsport," Oliver recited, looking at his phone. He held it up and turned it towards them. "Atomic Skull has the power of atomic blasts, superhuman strength, agility, and endurance. Bloodsport is a mercenary who has a gun filled with Kryptonite Bullets." He shook his head. "And I thought Cisco came up with awful nicknames."

"Yeah, it's best if you don't let him hear that," Barry said.

"If Bloodsport's a mercenary, there's someone else he's working for. Someone who wants him to kill someone in there," Cadence explained. She clenched her hands as they started to glow. It was hard when her friends were in danger, but when her family was in danger as well that's where she drew the line. "There's a third person we're looking for."

"You've got eyes on him then," Barry said. Cadence nodded. "And Oliver and I will take on Bloodsport and the Atomic Skull."

"What are we going to do for cover?" Oliver asked. "We don't have time to get our suits."

"I can handle that," Cadence said. "But I'll need your help, Barry."

"Fire tornado?" He asked.

"Fire tornado."

"We'll have to take them down fast, before anyone gets hurt. It'll take some time to collect the money and jewelry from everyone in there. That's the window of opportunity we'll need to take." Oliver said. "On my mark."

But Barry raced upstairs in a blinding burst of speed.

Oliver pressed his lips together, a vein starting to throb at his temple. "I said on my mark!" He barked after him.

"Mark," Cadence said and grabbed his arm, teleporting them into the party.

* * *

 **A/N:** Family issues can be so complicated sometimes. I hope they showed well here. Sorry for the wait on the chapter, I hope you enjoyed it all the same. I definitely did. Especially with Cisco, he's always fun to write.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Please remember to review this one, I'm serious about my writing and my stories, and if you have anything to comment about, anything to mention, or anything to say, I would love to hear it and it motivates me to write more. I respond to every review I get even if it's anonymous.

 **PS -** When the next chapter is put up, the original version of _Sparks Fly_ will be deleted off of the profile. I do have it saved though.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	10. Chapter 10

**.:10:.**

* * *

Barry—after running back to Central City to change into his suit—hurried back into the dining room just in time to find Atomic Skull and Bloodsport moving to the far side of the room. They had managed to make it far enough in their robbery for the bags they were holding to bulge at their sides. In a few moments they would've made it through the entire room with their bounty. Hopefully they could keep from harming anyone as well, though Barry couldn't help but sweat as he watched Bloodsport shift the gun towards crouching party goers. He could see the fear move over their faces as the gun was passed their way.

He looked at his friends, finding them turned away from Bloodsport's and Atomic Skull's eyes. Laurel, ever now and then, glanced around the side of the table with Cisco and Caitlin, as if waiting for something. Felicity, who Barry saw was at a nearby table, was holding her phone to her side as she rapidly typed on it—probably to alert Oliver to what was happening. Finally, Barry started to race in circles around the room, creating a harsh wind. He ran around a few times before he found himself knocked off his feet by a sudden blast. He hadn't noticed Atom Skull suddenly whip his head his way, sending shockwave from his visor into Barry's side.

He flew across the room and crashed into the wall, releasing a low groan from his mouth. Then he felt a hand grab his arm and he looked up to find Oliver and Cadence behind him, hauling him back to his feet. Oliver glared at him from underneath the hood to his suit. Barry wondered how he managed to get it, but figured Oliver never went anywhere without bringing his suit with him just in case. "Remind me to make sure you understand the meaning of 'wait for my mark' the next time we're practicing."

"I guess that means I'm going to get a bunch of arrows in my back again," Barry replied.

"You need to learn how to get over things," Oliver shot back.

"And you _both_ need to learn how to prioritize," Cadence commented from nearby. She crouched behind a pillar, watching and waiting for an open position to take down the two robbers. Atomic Skull turned Barry's and Oliver's way to attack them again.

Cadence held out her hand and sent a cloud of smoke his way, making him back up. Barry pulled his arm out of Oliver's grasp. "You think you can fight without your suit?" He wasn't sure how she would be able to hide her identity without a suit.

"If I can run in a pair of stilettos and make that look good, I can fight in a dress," Cadence replied. She looked around for a minute then ducked as there was as hot and the metal above her clanged loudly.

Bloodsport had turned and was now firing at them.

"Now would be a good time for that fire tornado," she said.

Barry nodded and started to do a few more laps around the room. He ran at top speed, everything around him moving in slow motion. He could see Atomic Skull sending blasts out in Barry's direction, briefly missing him as he went. Then Cadence rolled out from behind the counter and held up her hands. Instead of throwing the fire into the burst of wind as Barry expected she allowed the flames to increase in size along her hands, traveling up her arms. It was when the temperature around the room started to increase that he understood what she was doing.

Instead of taking the time to teleport to her suit, she was heating up the air around her until the air became distorted, shimmering. It kept anyone from being able to look directly at her as it would be, not only, too bright but difficult to tell whose identity was behind the shimmer. Then she turned her attention to the wind tunnel Barry was creating and threw blasts of fire into it. A mini tornado created and shot towards Atomic Skull and Bloodsport.

They leapt out of the way and Bloodsport turned his attention to Oliver as Atomic Skull turned to Barry and Cadence. Oliver lifted his bow and quickly fired off an arrow as Bloodsport lifted his pistols and fired two shots towards him. The arrow sailed through the air and split the bullets right down the middle, dropping the halves to the ground, emitting a strange green glow.

"Look at that," Caitlin whispered, nudging Cisco on the arm. Cisco pulled his hair behind his ears to keep his view from being blocked and looked over as well. "I've never seen them anything like it."

"There's a lot of things we haven't seen, and that includes metas in Metropolis," Cisco said. He shook his head. As far as they knew, Cadence was the only metahuman. As everyone knew, Superman wasn't from Earth—he just appeared one day and the citizens found someone to believe in. But there was something else that Cadence had said, something that would make sense of it all.

"Must be made from meteor rock," Caitlin said. She squirmed a little, lifting her head to look over the top of the tables. Everyone around her continued to crouch down but she could clearly see Flash, Arrow and Cadence fighting against the two robbers.

In the time it took for them to hurry off so that they could come up with a game plan, Felicity was able to get the facial recognition of them done and sent over. While Caitlin and Cisco were able to hear their motive of operations. They just wanted the money, knowing there were plenty of trustee members, and the rich elite around. It was probably the best time for anyone to commit a robbery, not to mention the notoriety that was to be created from the _Daily Planet_ there for the night as well.

"We need to find a way to get it," Laurel said. She brought her hand up to her throat where the Canary Cry was nestled quietly. "To see what it is that it can do."

"I can get it," Brady whispered. Caitlin reached out to stop him but found her fingers slip into his leg as he turned and army-crawled across the floor. She gasped and pulled her hand back, not just because of her fear that someone had seen what happened, but due to the feel.

The feeling was cold, empty, almost as if he wasn't there when he used his powers. One of the worst feeling she had ever felt. No wonder Brady had been uncomfortable and afraid the first time he had—subconsciously—used them, sinking into the floor of his bedroom. Ducking out of the way of the glass and silverware that burst around him, Brady scurried forward and grabbed onto the bullet pieces. He clutched them tightly in his hand before hurrying back to his friends. "Got it," he whispered.

"It's no wonder Cade has a heart attack nearly every time you're out there," Caitlin said as he settled back beside her. The group winced as there was a loud crashing sound. Caitlin, Cisco, and Laurel all leaned over to find a blast of energy smacked Oliver into a pillar.

"Have you seen something like this before?" Laurel asked Cisco as he turned it back and forth between his fingers.

"No, and it'd be much easier if we had everything from STAR Labs back here," he declared. He jumped as there was another crash and looked at Laurel. "You think you can give them some help?"

Laurel smirked and brought her finger up to the Canary Cry. Caitlin clapped her hands over Brady's ears, Cisco held his over hers, and the three turned away as Laurel leaned forward and screamed as loud as she could, emitting a sonic cry out from her Canary Cry.

Oliver pushed himself off the pillar as the sound of the Canary Cry sent shockwaves through the room. Bloodsport stumbled to the side, crying out in pain as he brought his hands to the sides of his head. Oliver then surged forward, skidding to a stop when Blodosport suddenly teleported out of the way. "Wha?" He turned around in time to get punched in the face.

Bloodsport grinned, watching Oliver try to recover from the sudden blow. "Teleportaiotn mechanism," he said. "One of the best investments Luthor Corp has ever made."

Oliver raised his bow and shot a couple of arrows towards him, not pausing within each grab. But the teleporter worked faster than he hoped it would. Once out of Oliver's line of sight, Bloodsport lowered one of his pistols and quickly changed the ammunition inside. Then he ran towards Oliver and the two became locked in hand to hand combat. Oliver swung around with his bow when he got the chance, using it to tie up Bloodspurt's hands to keep from firing another pistol. Then he elbowed him in the face and twisted back to the front, just in time to be pistol-whipped before being shot in the shoulder. Grunting, Oliver started forward once more but was shot in the arm, causing him to lose grip on his bow.

A gasp escaped Oliver's mouth and he fell to his knee. Something was wrong. He had been shot before but it wasn't the same as before. Something different coursed through his veins, made his stomach roll and a thin layer of sweat to appear on his skin.

Across the room, Atomic Skull was keeping Barry and Cadence busy with not only his energy blasts but by his speed and strength. While not able to move faster than Barry, he moved fast enough that Barry was having difficulty keeping up. Atomic Skull managed to send a crushing punch to Barry's stomach to send him flying in time to turn back to Cadence, who teleported on his other side and blast her in the stomach. She skidded backwards on the heels of her stilettos and grabbed onto a nearby table leg to keep herself upright then teleported again.

Barry raced to Atomic Skull's side and started to punch him repeated, moving around him in a circle as he did so. Atomic Skull reached out and grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground. Cadence immediately tried to come to his rescue and was batted aside like an insignificant fly. Atomic Skull's visor glinted at Barry before felt an invisible punch to the chest and went flying in the air. There was the sound of breaking glass and Barry suddenly felt himself come to a stop before he was lowered to the ground. Then there was a bright colored streak that shot through the room, striking Atomic Skull in the chest and sent him rocketing backwards. The streak raced to Oliver's side of the room to come to his rescue, then came to a grinding halt.

A strangled gasp came from Superman's throat, his veins slowly turning green as he did so. He fell to his knees and looked up at Bloodsport, who chuckled and started to walk towards him. "I was wondering how long it would take for you to come Superman," he remarked. "Now, I wonder how long it'll take to kill you." He lifted his gun to shoot Superman. Oliver started to lift his bow to send out another arrow, but Barry could see he was going to be too late.

Barry raced forward and everything started to move in slow motion. His arms and legs chugged as he watched the gun fire, sending a gray and green bullet towards Superman. The same kind he had shot Oliver with before. But then he noticed something change in Bloodsport's face. It took on a red hue before slowly changing to one of pain. Barry turned his head and saw a laser-like beam of heat coming from Cadence's eyes to the pistol in Bloodsport's hand. The metal slowly started to glow as the temperature of the metal increased.

Then everything moved in real-time and he disarmed Bloodsport. He turned in time to find Atomic Skull had gotten back up from his own melee. He turned his visor towards the stage as a shaky voice rang out of the otherwise silent room.

"Please, stop!" Cadence immediately whipped around to find her mother standing up from where she had been crouching with Kent. Maya stood and faced Atomic Skull without a hint of fear on her face. Barry reached over and grabbed Cadence's wrist, feeling her trembling. She shifted her hand, pressing her palm against hist. "You have everything you want. Please stop hurting them. Just take what you have and leave."

Atomic Skull turned towards her. And in a split second he had her by the throat, moving his arm around her throat. He turned back to the heroes. "Let my partner go and we'll walk." He flexed his arm muscles, tightening the grasp around Maya's neck, which made her wince in pain.

The silence was broken by Superman's gurgling. He rolled onto his side, slowly trying to shift himself away from Oliver, who continued to kneel on the ground, obviously suffering from the affects of the meteor rock in him.

Barry glanced at Cadence, immediately seeing how torn she was. If they let them go they could continue to wreak havoc and her mom would be safe, but if she didn't let them go…Cadence's eyes shifted back and forth before landing on Barry's. He looked back at her, waiting for her to make the decision of what they were going to do.

She moved fast; teleporting around the room so fast it was hard to keep track. First she grabbed Superman and Oliver and took them out of the reception hall, keeping them far apart from each other. Then she grabbed onto Brady and Barry and took them to Oliver as well.

"I don't know what's in him, but you need to phase it out," she explained as soon as she let go of Barry. He nodded and looked over at Brady, who was already on his knees, peering at Oliver's bleeding arm. Then, frowning in concentration Brady stuck his hand into Oliver's arm, looking for the bullet. Barry then grasped Oliver's arm and vibrated his hands. The vibrations moved to Oliver's until his arm rapidly spasmed.

Oliver watched as Brady managed to pull out one of the bullets and the other clattered to the ground. He quickly scooped it up as well. "This is the same bullet that I gave Cisco and Caitlin. They said it had it's not like a regular bullet?" He handed it over to Cadence.

"Meteor-rock," She explained, looking over the gray-green bullet. "This stuff has been found all over Smallville's soil. It causes radioactive response to people who come in contact with it. It's one of the few things that hurts Superman. It won't take long for him to recover from it." She carelessly tossed it aside before grasping Oliver's arm to heal him. The puncture wounds quickly closed and the bleeding stopped, Oliver's breath returning to him.

"Are you okay, man?" Barry asked him.

Oliver nodded, already getting his strength back. "Never felt better," he growled. His grip tightened on his bow. "We'll have to attack harder. Tricks and silly tactics aren't going to stop them when they came prepared to take down Superman so easily. I won't be taken down that easily."

Barry rested his hands on his head. He hated times like these, having to get stuck between two difficult decisions. No one deserved to be hurt and yet they couldn't let the villains get away with their crime. They had already terrorized the people they had been robbing if not hurt them even worse. How were any of them to know that they wouldn't still hurt Maya. And with someone who had meteor-rock infused bullets and a teleporting machine and another who was as stronger and faster than Barry combined with energy blasts… he wished Dr. Wells was there to help. That Caitlin and Cisco were in his ears rather than being part of the hostages.

"What do you think we should do?" He finally asked.

The question wasn't directed to anyone in particular. They were all leaders in a way; Oliver with more experience than him in terms of being a hero, Cadence with more experience fighting and using her powers in battle, and someone who saved Central City on a daily basis, using new ways to take down the villains while serving as a light for the residents.

Oliver started to speak first, a strong plan of attack that focused on brute strength and force. Then Cadence shook her head and turned to him.

"No," Cadence said firmly. Oliver sucked in a deep breath, steadying himself to exert his dominance over the situation but Cadence cut him off. "We went with your idea, the same idea you always have of using a straightforward plan of attack, and it didn't work. This time you're going to listen to me." Her eyes blazed with passion. "This is _my_ city and no matter how long I've been away it's always going to _be_ my city, my home. And I'm not going to let any of these people fuck with it or the people I love."

Barry felt himself starting to smile. Oliver looked at her for a moment before nodding. Barry thought he saw a hint of a smile on his face as well but the shadow made it difficult to see.

"What's the plan?" He asked.

Once everyone got their assignments Barry raced back into the room. They hadn't been gone long, long enough for Atomic Skull and Bloodsport to think they had gotten away with their crime. They backed out of the reception hall and hurried towards the back of the museum, following the emergency exits, waiting for the last door that would lead them outside. But Superman flew outside, using his X-Ray vision of the building to track their movements, of which he called back to Barry, Cadence, Oliver, and Brady.

Cadence then used her heat vision to weld the last of the emergency doors shut just as the two villains arrived. Barry smiled as he heard a heavy crashing from inside then the sound of an almighty blast. He took confident steps forward and vibrated his whole body to walk through the door. Brady grabbed onto Oliver's arm and walked him through as well. Bloodsport's eyes widened in surprise as he found the superheroes in front of them. Atomic Skull hugged Maya against his body. Despite his eyes hidden behind his visor, his shaking hands betrayed his unease of the situation.

"Woops," Barry said.

"Looks like you've reached a dead-end," Oliver added, voice in a low growl from his voice modulator.

Bloodsport immediately flew into action, raising his pistol to fire at them. Brady immediately sunk into the floor, moving out of the way of the blast. He then rose up by Bloodsport's legs and grabbed onto him, sinking him into the floor as well. Then he re-appeared, leaving half of Bloodsport's body in the ground.

This gave Barry the time to use his super-speed to dismantle the pistol, dropping bullets to the ground which he picked up in seconds. Oliver went forward and used his bow to club Bloodsport in the face before sending a roundhouse kick to its jaw. Bloodsport's body flung back and forth like a rag doll. Brady grabbed the bullets and took Oliver's bow. Holding the bullets in his hand, Brady pulled back on the bow and released the meteor-rock bullets, sending them forward into Bloodsport's teleporting mechanism and through his palm.

Atomic Skull, sensing defeat, flung Maya aside and turned to run. Cadence teleported behind him, standing at the end of the hallway. Fire erupted around her, the strands of her hair standing on end as her eyes glowed a bright orange. She started walking towards Atomic Skull. He sent a blast of energy her way and Cadence bent to the side, the energy shot crashing into the wall behind her.

Atomic Skull scowled then ran towards her. Cadence started running back and when they were about to meet she leapt high into the air and grabbed the end of the light-fixture. Pulling hard she flung it into Atomic Skull's face, causing him to stumble backwards. Then she teleported around him, staying in one spot a few seconds at a time, not long enough for Atomic Skull to fight back. With strong punches she knocked Atomic Skull to his knees before using her heat vision to strike his visor, immediately causing it to crack and implode, sending shards along the ground.

Reaching up his arm, Atomic Skull grabbed onto her wrist and flung her aside. Cadence flipped through the air and landed with her feet planted firmly on the wall, using it as a spring board to project herself back into Atomic Skull, knocking him back into the wall and out.

It was a fight that lasted a few seconds. He didn't stand a chance the moment he attacked. The doors at the back of the hallway were ripped open and Superman walked inside. He grabbed onto Atomic Skull and Bloodsport, nodded to the group, and flew back through the opening behind them.

* * *

Cadence smoothed her hair from her face as she watched her father stride up to the podium. She was surprised to see him want to continue the night but after she and Barry had gone through to fix ups the reception hall, everything was as good as new. Her mother stood by her father's side, proudly walking along with him as they went to the podium. She didn't seem fazed by what had happened to her before.

 _The thing is, you remind me of her more and more every day. And I mean that in the best way possible._

She took the time to look around the room, taking in the sea of faces that decided to stay once the threat had been thwarted. Maybe they were used to the countless threat, or maybe it was their own resilience to the fear that kept them going. She looked over at Oliver and Laurel, who both helped her despite the threat to their identities to a city that wasn't their own. Laurel smiled and nodded at her while Oliver nodded as well. She didn't expect a smile from him, not so much, he had been knocked down a peg by her taking the lead. But then again she could see the light twinkle in his eye as he nodded. He was doing his best not to crack his façade.

Felicity and Ray sat across the room and Cadence watched as Oliver and Felicity looked towards each other. They may not be together at the moment but…

Cadence turned back to her parents as they reached the podium. "So, I'm sure I'll be getting the award for an unforgettable night." He paused to allow the low chuckle that moved through the audience. "And not just because of Superman's presence, not just because of the other heroes that came to save us, but because of the love I feel through this room. As a city, as Metropolis, we're always there for each other and I'm glad to know that you're here for me tonight."

Kent took a breath, looking away for a moment. "I'm sure everyone here knows that I haven't been in the best of health. There are those that know the extent of it and those that don't. But I hope each and everyone here knows how much love I give back to you for the love and support you've given me as I've continued to grow Nash Advertising. Without you all I wouldn't be able to advertise not only your businesses and livelihoods but what makes our city as amazing as I've known it to be. You're my family, my friends…and if you leave tonight with one thing, it's to know not to take anything for granted." He sniffed. "Through my sickness I've made that mistake before and it's a mistake I will never forgive myself for." He sniffed again then looked over to Cadence and Brady.

Cadence lifted a hand to her forehead, suddenly feeling that everyone was looking at her. She hated that feeling; it was tortures combined with the whispers and pointing and snide comments that continued to plague her within her insecurities.

"I made the mistake of pushing away a part of my life because I was too stubborn to understand that you don't get a second chance at life. Because of that, it's made things harder to accept knowing that I can't take those mistakes back. And I'm so very sorry about that. So very sorry. I can blame specific things for it, knowing part of it wasn't my fault but I do need to take responsibility." He took a moment to wipe at his eyes. "Through it all my wife, my Maya has continued to stand by me and keep me going. Even with your help it wouldn't have been possible without her." He put his arm around her waist and drew her closer. "I know I can be difficult to deal with at times," Kent paused to smile, "and so can you." He stopped again as the audience laughed. "But I can't imagine any woman stronger than you by my side. My inspiration for all of this goes to you."

Maya smiled as Kent gave her a kiss on the cheek and a warm hug.

"And to everyone who has been a part of my team, my life, my livelihood. I thank you so much."

Kent's speech received a standing ovation, even so far as for Brady to stand on his chair to clap for his grandfather. (Though as far as Cadence could tell it was also because he couldn't see). Cadence brought a hand up to wipe away a tear that came to her eye and found that she was already crying. Surprised, she turned to find a napkin and locked eyes with Caitlin and Cisco. Cisco smiled and nodded and Caitlin tilted her head, silently urging her. Cadence took a breath and amongst the clapping, grasped Brady's shoulder, and moved away from her seat and walked to meet her parents at the stage.

They looked at her in surprise as they descended the stage. Cadence wiped her eyes and reached out to hug her father, who held her tightly. "I love you, daddy," she said to him.

Kent smiled, framing her face with his hands. "I love you too, Cadey," he said. His voice then broke as he started to cry. "I love you, too." Cadence hugged him tightly. Then she moved to her mother as Kent reached down and grabbed Brady, lifting his grandson up into his arms to give him a hug.

Cadence hugged Maya as hard as she could, hoping it would let her know how sorry she was. Maya hugged her back then smiled down at her, the look she gave let Cadence know things were going to be okay. "Thank you," Maya whispered. Eyebrows furrowing together, Cadence tilted her head to the side. "That was you that help save me, right?"

"Why would I want to try and fight someone in an expensive dress?" Cadence shot back. "I like to have fun, but not _that_ kind of fun." But she didn't have to look at her mother to know she knew the truth. She had kept her abilities secret long enough. "You know I never used to get mad before I got my powers. The only thing that could get me there was someone saying something about my family. But actively _attacking_ you…?"

Maya smiled and grasped Cadence's shoulder, pressing her cheek against her daughter's. "And your friend…is he The Flash?"

"I have no idea," Cadence said with a straight face.

"But he's cute, not really the kind of guy you normally go after, is he?"

 _That's the best part,_ Cadence thought. "You see, this is why I tell people you're crazy, mom." She skillfully deflected the question. "Your moods are like a freaking light switch. One minute you're thanking me for saving your life the next you want to know who The Flash is, then you question my love life." She looked over at Kent, who was busy telling Brady some silly jokes that she had heard when she was a kid, making him laugh. She smiled then turned back to her mom. "It's hard to keep up with you."

"Your father says the same thing."

A look of horror crossed Cadence's face as Maya laughed. "I didn't need to know that, mom."

Maya laughed her tinkling laugh and rubbed Cadence's cheek. "Have a good time, sweetie. I mean it. Don't worry about us."

Cadence went back to her table, letting out a heavy sigh as she sat down. The weight of the world had been removed from her shoulders, she felt better than she had in a long time. Barry handed her a handkerchief to wipe her eyes and Cadence laughed for a second, shaking her head. "You and my dad would really get along," she commented. "I think you two are the only people that have these things."

"I know it's a little old fashioned," Barry said, bashfully

"Refreshing is the better word, thanks." Cadence dabbed at her eyes. When they were dry she folded up the handkerchief and rested it on the table. "I know the circumstances suck but…I get why you tried so hard to make sure that your dad's name was cleared." She briefly closed her eyes. "I'm not trying to say what happened tonight is anything like what happened to your mom but I get it. No one ever wants anything to happen to their parents…not matter how mad I was at mine."

Barry nodded in agreement, falling silent. Cadence knew he was thinking about and allowed him that moment of silence. She looked around the room and found Caitlin and Cisco at Oliver's and Laurel's table, talking enthusiastically about something with Cisco motioning towards Laurel's Canary Cry ever few minutes. Leave it to them to be incredibly interested in the mechanics of her weapon. Chances were they weren't going to stop hearing about the meteorite bullets soon.

"You know she asked if you were The Flash," Cadence said, grabbing Barry's attention once more. "After thanking me for saving her."

"Maybe I should tell them," Barry suggested. "It'd be nice to have someone else know who isn't planning on killing me when finding out."

"Chances are you'd have a better response than they did with mine." Cadence laced her fingers together and rested her elbows on the table. She grinned. "I should probably be worried though, I think my mom was hitting on you."

Barry laughed nervously. "I doubt that."

"Well, she mentioned that you're not the kind of guy that I normally go for. She wasn't wrong. But I've found you much more interesting." She flashed him a teasing smile. "The powers are just an added bonus."

"Oh, thanks." Barry laughed back. "Good to know you just want me for my powers."

"Well it definitely isn't for your public speaking," Cadence continued to tease. She turned to face him. "I mean, unless I was _imagining_ that you were asking me out again through your stuttering. And at the skating rink and before Atomic Skull and Bloodsport attacked." Cadence shrugged. "Could've just been wishful thinking."

"You weren't," Barry said. He looked her in the eye. "I was…I _am_ actually asking you out this time." He thought for a minute then grabbed her hands. "I know that we were going out as a group tonight but I want this to be a date."

"In that case…" Cadence reached up and placed her hand against Barry's neck. She smiled and pulled his head down to hers, kissing him.

She was done holding back.

* * *

 **A/N:** I really enjoyed writing this one. I apologize if the action was a little hard to follow but it played out well in my head. It always seems better in my head, haha. I hope you guys liked it.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	11. Chapter 11

**.:11:.**

* * *

"Go, go go! Come on!"

"You're going to have to try harder than that!"

"This isn't fair, my controller isn't working."

Cisco leaned over to look at the wheeled control in Caitlin's hands that she was frantically twisting back and forth. He laughed when saw her plight and focused on the TV screen again. "Cait, you have the wheel upside down."

Barry laughed, keeping his eyes locked on to go kart character onscreen. He was in first place and all he had to do was keep the lead for a few more seconds. But Brady's character was coming up incredibly fast, after having knocked Cisco's out of the way with a timely placed banana peel—causing Cisco to scream at the top of his lungs as his character spun out of place. Finally, Barry's character zoomed across the finish line and he cheered loudly, throwing his hands into the air.

Brady frowned as his character came in second. He dropped his controller into his lap and rested his chin in his hands. "That's not fair! I always win! You must've cheated!"

"No way, man. I can beat anyone at GoldenEye and Mario Kart. I'm unbeatable!" Barry declared.

"Which is probably code for the fact that you didn't go out so much in high school and you spent most of your nights getting good at the game," Cisco said. He held up his hand as Barry gave him a look. "I don't blame you. Once the Nintendo 64 came out, it was all downhill for my social life."

"What social life?" Caitlin teased.

"Hey, if you knew me in high school you would've known that I indeed had a social life. My friends and I made it our life goal to make sure we knew every nook, cranny, and secret of the game."

Brady nodded. "That's what the Let's Play people do on YouTube. I watch them all the time." He twisted his mouth to the side. "This stupid game must be defective." He leaned forward to switch out the video game.

"What are you doing?" Barry asked.

"We're playing Halo. I'm better at that game."

"We're supposed to be heading back," Caitlin reminded them.

Barry smiled at her. "You're just trying to keep from being beaten at every game again."

"Well excuse me for being so into my studies that video games were never really my priority," Caitlin said .She looked dejectedly down at her Mario Kart Wii wheel and turned it back and forth in her hands. "They should say which way is up on these things, anyway. Not everyone can figure out what direction they're supposed to go."

"Right, Cait, I'm sure that's it." Cisco leaned back when Caitlin brought up her hand to shove him on the shoulder. "Hey, you already tried that before and it didn't work out! There's nothing that will have you best me, Cait, and you need to get over it."

"As long as you admit that I'm a better scientist."

"Ha! Good one."

Barry laughed. Then he reached back behind him, resting his hands on the ground, stretching his legs out at the ankle. They were going back to Central City in a few hours and all he wanted to do was bask in the small moments of relaxation he'd be able to get before all the metas started to pop out again. And back to helping Becky with her own problems. He knew how hard it could be to try and learn how to get used to their new abilities but didn't know how to do it alone. The last thing she should do was try to figure things out all on her own when she was easily susceptible to anyone who wanted to use her powers for their own personal gain.

 _A meta that can sense other metahuman's powers? To make them go off without their control? That can go bad incredibly fast._ Thankfully, Joe had a good handle of the situation and reported that Becky hadn't had many problems since Barry went back to Metropolis. As far as he knew, she holed herself up in her apartment to work remotely to keep from activating her powers once more.

It was interesting to see their reactions to their powers differ; she was scared and when he got his he was tremendously excited, after the initial confusion passed. Hell, he had even gotten excited when he was being mugged. To a normal person being mugged would've been one of the most traumatizing experiences of their lives, to Barry, he grinned in the face of danger and used his powers to show off. On a normal day, he would even use them to speed ups his day. She didn't have that luxury. Few other metahumans he came across had that luxury; a team behind him to help him improve rather than figuring out how to do it all on their own.

"You better not let me win," Brady said, dropping a controller into Barry's lap. "I'm really good at this game."

"I'm sure you are." He handed his controller over to Brady. "I'll be back in a minute; I'm just going to go to the bathroom."

"Do you remember where it is?" Brady asked. He sat back on his heels, watching the TV screen as the opening to Halo played, holding an Xbox controller loosely in his hands.

 _Haha._ Barry rolled his eyes. "I think I got the hang of it now." He got up from the floor and left the room, using his speed to do a quick search of the bottom floor. No one else needed to know he was never sure about it; there was already a running tally between him, Cisco, and Caitlin for how many times they tried to find the bathroom and ended up in another room or a closet, making Cadence laugh every time.

So far she managed to cry laughing when Cisco went on his tale about how he swore he went into the bathroom and when he came out again everything had suddenly moved around and he was in a different part of the house. Another time she laughed until she couldn't breathe when Caitlin somehow managed to lock herself inside one, though Caitlin was sure Brady had something to do with it due to the smirk on his face when she told the story.

He started to go in but stopped when he heard Kent's and Cadence's voices quietly coming from the den. He walked over to the doorway and watched as Cadence brought her legs up from the floor and sat on the couch, facing her father with a hard stare.

Kent looked almost as annoyed, tough he held his composure. Much like they were having a conversation they had numerous times before.

"I can heal you, let me do it," Cadence said.

Barry took a step back. It probably wasn't a conversation to eavesdrop on. And yet he couldn't will himself to turn away. Maybe because he knew what it was like to not be able to help his dad no matter how badly he wanted to. But despite how many times Barry vowed to get Henry out of jail over the years throughout his career at the CCPD, it was like his dad was just biding his time and didn't care about the injustice anymore.

And there weren't many bigger injustices in the world.

"I know there are many things you can do, but this isn't one of them."

"Daddy, please!"

Barry winced, hearing Cadence's voice crack with emotion.

"Cadey, listen to me." Kent reached out and placed his hand on his daughter's knee. "I know you're upset, you haven't had a lot of time to get used to the fact that I may not be here much longer." Cadence looked away from him, clenching her jaw. "I was scared when I first got the news, I cried for days."

"You never cry," Cadence murmured.

"You think I don't. I never wanted to scare you and we weren't speaking when I found out. But it gave me a chance to think about what I've been through in my life and while there are things I'd change I'm happy with the life I've lived. I've made peace with the fact that I'm going to die, but you can't expect to go and change things whenever you want just because they aren't going your way. There are some things set in stone that no matter what happens you have to live with."

Barry watched as Cadence turned her head to the side. She closed her eyes tight, almost as if trying to talk herself out of something then said, "Brady's a meta, too. He can phase through things. He can…he can phase his hand in and take the tumor out."

Kent smiled in amusement. If he was surprised to learn that his grandson had newly developed powers he didn't show it. "And now you have the means of being able to oversee such an operation of which there are results we couldn't anticipate?"

"You're starting to sound like Harrison," Cadence remarked.

"We weren't best friends for nothing," Kent said. A sad expression came to his face which was gone in a few seconds.

Barry then thought about Dr. Wells back in Central City. When Cadence had brought up the award ceremony to him he immediately turned down the invitation to go, stating he had too much work to be done but he was glad that his former friend was being recognized for his hard work. Barry watched Dr. Wells's reaction and saw he didn't at all, almost as if the invitation hadn't meant anything to him despite having mentioned before that the two had used to be friends, that they were enough of friends to allow them to adopt his daughter.

"And I didn't study medicine for my health." Cadence paused for a second. Then she looked a little ashamed. "Actually, I did. I figured it'd be easier to make sure no one got my blood or DNA. And if Brady got sick then I could deal with it like I usually did…"

"I don't doubt it; I don't think you'd want many people to know you're Flare," Kent agreed. "I have to admit, it was pretty exciting to see you fight like that. We only see your fights on the news."

"Don't change the subject, dad."

"Cade, my tumor is too large to be operated on. If Brady can phase or whatever you call it and take it out, how do we know it won't cause irreparable damage? I don't want that either."

"I know it sounds crazy—"

"—we've been past crazy since you became a…"

"A meta."

"A meta. But no, you can't do this. There's a natural order to things. Things happen for a reason. We don't know why but there's always a reason." Kent shrugged his shoulders. "I've always believed that. With what happened to us, we now know the reason why and as much as I can apologize for it I know it can't change the emotional and physical hurt it inflicted on you. But neither of us would've been able to grow and learn if it hadn't had happened."

"I don't care about that, dad." Cadence shook her head.

"I do. I'm not surprised at the amazing woman you've become as my daughter, as a mother. And as a hero for Central City. And your mom and I are proud. If I thought for a second that me being alive—"

"—you mean suffering?"

"Do I look like I'm suffering to you? I have everything that I could want in life despite the fact that I'm not going to live as long as I'd like. But I can't live thinking I was holding you back, I wouldn't want that. What I hope for you, Cadey, is that you continue to be the amazing, dedicated, and driven person that you are for your friends and for Brady and maybe you'll understand then how much I love you, how much I'm going to watch out for you, and how much I'm going to miss you."

Cadence leaned forward and placed her face in her hands. Barry could see her shoulders shaking and Kent shifted over on the couch, pulling his daughter into his arms to comfort her.

Barry took a deep breath, turning to rest his back against the wall. His shoulders slumped as he let out his breath. His eyes shifted back and forth in thought before he made his decision. Pushing himself off the wall, Barry raced back to the living room, where Brady and Cisco were yelling at each other as bombs went off on the TV screen. Caitlin sat to the side, alternately looking from her controller to the TV as she tried to figure out what to do.

Finally, she tossed the controller aside and backed away from the TV. She looked over at Barry and he gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll just declare it now, video games aren't my thing and I don't think they ever will be."

"Operation isn't your thing either," Barry pointed out.

"Not everyone can use their speed to cheat."

"It's not cheating it's accelerated perception and it's not my fault you can't keep your hands steady." Barry brought up his knees and wrapped his arms around them.

"Well, maybe I'll be better at picking apart your brain. You look like you have something on your mind."

For a moment Barry stayed silent. Then he licked his lips, shaking his head a little bit. "I was just thinking what my dad would say if there was a way for me to figure out how to change the past." He clenched his hands into fists. "I think about it a lot, and about him being in jail in general. What if I can't help him?" He looked over as there was a loud explosion along with Brady's loud cheer and Cisco's squeal of frustration.

"Barry, you're doing everything you can," Caitlin pointed out.

"What if it's not enough? What if he's just going to be in jail for the rest of his life because I couldn't convince everyone of what I saw when I was little?" He shook his head. "That even as the Flash there's nothing I can do to stop it. What if things happen for a reason, what if he went to jail for a reason?"

Caitlin's eyebrows furrowed together. She slightly turned her head aside as she regarded Barry. "Then, maybe, you wouldn't have been the Flash?"

"Is that a good enough reason? My dad is locked away; a literal prisoner, and I can do all of this?"

"Barry, 'all of this' is you working to prove that your dad isn't as guilty as everyone says he is. That's been your goal throughout this whole thing let along saving the city. Maybe things were meant to happen this way for just to get to that point. None of us know if you would ever be able to come close to clearing his name without your powers…"

"Yeah…" Barry was about to say 'but what about my mom?' What about the fact that he couldn't go back to save her? What about her being murdered all because the Reverse-Flash was trying to kill him for whatever reason? What about the fact that if it weren't for him she'd still be alive?

"If it helps, Barry, you know the rest of us are going to be here whenever you need it. We'll help you anyway we can. Even if it's just to talk."

Barry nodded. "Yeah, thanks Cait."

"You're welcome." She let out a sigh and tilted her head towards the TV. "Besides, it seems like that's the only thing I'm good for around here."

"Oh come on, you'll get it," Barry reassured her. "I haven't known you to give up on anything so easily."

Caitlin gave him a pointed look. "I haven't known you to either."

He understood what she meant and gave her a grateful smile. She returned it and looked up as Cadence walked into the room. Barry looked over at her, surprised to see that it looked like she hadn't been crying at all. She even had a warmth about her as she dropped hers and Brady's bags to the floor. "Hey, I'm ready to go."

"Five more minutes," Brady and Cisco said in unison.

"No, we need to go now."

Still after enough hemming and hawing, Cisco and Brady managed to get five more minutes out of their game—with Brady beating Cisco out by two points, which Cisco vehemently denied him for cheating—and the group got ready to leave. Barry watched as Cadence said goodbye to her parents, much warmer than when she first greeted them that weekend.

"Thank you all for coming down to celebrate with us," Maya said, clasping her hands together in front of her. "Of course things in Metropolis are never entirely relaxing."

"Thank you for having us," Caitlin said politely. "We had a lot of fun."

"Metropolis is the city that never sleeps and fortunately, or unfortunately, you saw why," Kent said.

"Oh, don't worry, we've gotten used to it," Cisco said. He laughed almost nervously, making Caitlin elbow him in the side, glaring at him. "I mean, Central City isn't a place that's been very boring this past year."

"Do we _have_ to go?" Brady asked, looking up at his grandparents, his arms wrapped around Kent's waist. "Can't we stay a little longer?"

"The only reason you're saying that is because you're spoiled here and they constantly buy you things," Cadence said flatly.

"So?"

Barry was suddenly struck with the notion that Brady didn't know about Kent's illness. It was just as well, she probably didn't want to scare him more than he needed to be. Or else wasn't sure how to break it to him. He could understand that, Joe practically broke down when he had to be the one to tell Barry that his mother wasn't going to come back. Barry didn't remember it in its entirety, he was sure he blacked out, all he knew was that he heard 'your mother didn't make it' and the next thing he knew he was waking up from the floor of the interrogation room.

"And I want to apologize to you," Maya continued. "For being so…interrogative and combative about getting to know you. I was eager to get to know a part of Cadey's life that I don't normally get to see and—"

"—And you're blunt and you're completely nuts I think they've got that by now," Cadence said.

Brady pointed to her. "You got that from her."

"He's right," Cisco agreed.

"Yeah, but I'm not crazy." Cadence reached out and hugged her parents once more. "Bye. I'll let you know when we get there."

"Oh, I'm sure we'll see it on the news once a new meta pops up and Flare has to go fight them," Kent said. He slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans and shifted his gaze to Barry. "Especially as she has The Flash there to protect her."

Barry's eyebrows came together for a second. He looked at Maya, who had the similar smile Kent had on his face. He slowly started to smile once Cisco suddenly started to stammer out an excuse about how it would be such an amazing coincidence and that he didn't expect it to happen. Caitlin brought her hand up to her forehead, gently rubbing the skin there as Cisco continued to dig himself deeper and deeper into his hole. Finally, Cadence grabbed his arm and pushed him in front of her to leave the house.

Barry followed his friends, nodding his thanks to the Nash's. Just as he was about to walk out the front door he turned back to them and looked at his feet for a second. He knew they knew he was The Flash, it wasn't too difficult for them to figure out, but maybe they would do something for him, too.

"I know it's been a while, but you should really call Dr. Wells," Barry suggested. "I think he'd be glad to hear from you." He cleared his throat, lowering his voice. "We all work with him…I know it's been a long time since you saw each other…but he let you adopt Cade for a reason, you used to be best friends…everything happens for a reason."

Barry then left the house, taking his bag to put it in the trunk of Cadence's car. "Oh, so you're going to slum it with the rest of us?" Cadence asked, waiting for him to pull his hands back before closing the trunk.

"I wouldn't call it slumming," Barry replied. "It's like…going on a train ride. I get some time to sit and think."

"Mm." Cadence closed the trunk, resting her palm against the metal. "Think about what exactly?"

Barry smiled at her. "How this weekend went better than I thought it would."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I thought you were going to go on some murderous rampage spitting fire just by being around your mom and dad. But they seem to be okay."

Cadence pressed her lips together and Barry could see the corners twitch, trying not to smile. "You heard my dad's and my conversation didn't you?" Barry paused for a second, trying to think of a good excuse or maybe a lie that would take him out of it. "Don't try lying Barry, you're terrible at it and I make it a habit to know my surroundings."

"I couldn't help it." He quickly apologized. "I didn't mean to. But…I know what you're going through. Not exactly, of course, but feeling that you're helpless despite having everything at your disposal to be able to help. If you ever want to talk about it—"

"—You'd be the first person I go to," Cadence said. "Honestly. I promise, Tholly, I'm okay. But you look like you have something on your mind. Is everything okay with _you_?"

Barry reached out and grabbed onto Cadence's hand, pulling her palm against his, tightening his grip on her hand with his fingertips. "Everything's great. I just realized some things and they're starting to make sense."

"Like?"

"Like a lot. When we get back to Central City, there's something I need to take care of but after that…do you want to go out? Like on a real date?"

Cadence's eyebrows rose. "You didn't think going on a group-hangout-thing to a dinner where we got then got relentlessly attacked wasn't a good date?" She pressed her hand to her chest. "Honestly, I think that was the highlight of my life. After Brady's birth of course." She thought for a second. "Mm, actually, that date might be third on my list."

"Then what's the second?" Barry asked.

Cadence's smile widened. "Meeting you."

Barry started to say something then turned his attention to Brady, who leaned out of the backseat window, waving his iPhone. "Mom, Barry, you might want to see this!"

"Like, now," Caitlin agreed, looking at her phone as well.

The two started over, with Cadence narrowing her eyes at her son. "Where'd you get that iPhone?"

"Mamaw gave it to me."

Cisco waved the group over and they bent their heads to watch the newsfeed coming from the cell phones. Despite the feeds coming from different channels, the story was all the same. A metahuman destroyed a downtown office building while simultaneously creating structural damage to nearby buildings due to their earthquake powers, all the while maintaining they hadn't meant to do it.

 _That must be Becky,_ Barry thought, watching the news report.

"And this isn't the only one," Caitlin said. "We have to go now."

Barry turned to Cadence and she said, "I can meet you there."

Barry nodded and raced off. It didn't take long for him to get back to Central City, the whole way he reminded himself that he was working hard to save the city and it was all for a greater reason.

Even if things didn't go the way he wanted when he wanted it, there was always a reason for what he was doing.

* * *

 **A/N:** So some of you may recognize Kent's speech as the one that Henry gave Barry, or will give Barry as it hasn't happened in this story yet. I just thought it would be a good throwback between the two despite the fact it's for different, though similar, reasons.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	12. Chapter 12

**.:12:.**

* * *

Caitlin looked up as there was a gust of wind that blew a low line of smoke across the floor of the Cortex. "Nothing?" She asked.

Barry shook his head while Cadence pulled off her goggles. "No. There wasn't anything around and it was the same story as all of the others."

"One minute they're minding their own business and the next they're destroying something around them with their powers," Cadence added. She dropped her goggles around her neck and shook her head. "This is getting really messy, the CCPD is starting to get really into these cases and Joe can only push their attention away from it while we work it enough. Captain Singh is starting to get suspicious—"

"—what else is new?" Cisco interrupted.

"Please tell me you're not still mad that Captain Singh still won't give you a police badge," Caitlin said. Cisco pursed his lips but didn't say anything else. "Anyway, we haven't been getting any signs of what's going on here, either." She shook her head. "Even after all of the witnesses who came forward when we got back from Metropolis."

Barry sighed and ran his hands through his hair. It wasn't that he didn't trust his friends to tell them the truth, but that he was, truthfully, completely torn. Becky begged him not to tell anyone she was a meta because of her fear. If he told everyone else at STAR Labs that she was the one behind the sudden onslaught of metahumans that were coming around, she would disappear faster than he could move and she'd be stuck with her powers for the rest of her life, living in constant fear.

But if he told the others, they'd at least be able to think of something that would help her to control her powers and keep them at bay. At the moment, Barry wasn't sure much of what he could do to help her. Whenever something went on, he made sure Becky was out of the area with a quick preliminary sweep—he knew Oliver would smile smugly at him if he saw Barry was practicing what Oliver preached—before going in to stop the newly revealed metahuman.

Then he would feel a massive amount of guilt that nearly debilitated him each time he heard there was something going on. Thankfully, that wasn't every meta issue they had to deal with. Captain Cold and Heatwave were issues from time to time as well as the regular robbery and carjacking. That kept his mind clear. But this was worse as he was stuck between staying loyal to two different friends. One he had known for most of his life but had lost touch with over the years and others he hadn't known nearly as long but had become his family since then.

Not to mention the betrayal of either that was a possibility.

Still, being around Becky sometimes was great. Sometimes he forgot what it was like to have his powers and just show them off to have fun. Since learning about his powers, Becky wanted to see everything he could do, from running fast, to reading fast, to cleaning fast, to phasing, to the generation of electricity he could do from time to time as well as to the healing he could do. And she watched with fascination and a slight sense of fear as Barry continued to show her, most times without thinking about it. That was her powers at play, but it was also a big part of him.

There was nowhere in his life that he could be 100% a metahuman, he couldn't do it at his house because there was any chance that Iris or Eddie could walk in and have his secret revealed. But then at STAR Labs he could never do it for fun as there was always some sort of a test or an experiment that needed to be done if he wasn't running off to take down metahumans. Even when he was racing throughout the city and other nearby areas just to stretch his legs he found it to be a bit boring.

"It appears to me we should focus more on questioning the metahumans rather than the other witnesses," Harrison commented as he rolled into the Cortex. Coming to a stop among the group, he rested his hands on his stomach. "But as we all know metahumans generally tend to be guilty until proven innocent around here."

"Can you blame them?" Cisco asked. "More often than not they're causing problems with their new powers because they think no one can stop them."

"Thanks for generalizing, Cisco," Cadence said. She placed her hands on her hips. "But Harrison's right. It's probably a good idea if we,"—she motioned between herself and Barry—"started talking to them. Maybe they've noticed something no one else has."

"Or maybe we're thinking too literally about this," Caitlin pointed out. "It could be Rainbow Raider."

"As far as I remember, he's in the Pipeline," Barry pointed out.

Caitlin briefly closed her eyes, bringing a finger to her forehead. Clearly they weren't getting what she was trying to hint at. "I meant what if it's someone who has the same capabilities. Or maybe there's someone out there who has super remarkable memory powers or can tell the future or gets visions, something that'll help us out here!"

"That really could've come in handy when we were working on Bloodsport and the Atomic Skull," Cadence remarked.

"Yeah, it looks like there's not much we can do now," Barry agreed. "We'll have to wait for the next time something like this happens and start by asking the metahumans ourselves." He started to pull off his the gloves to his suit.

"Um, I don't mean to sound like a smartass, Barry, but you're part of the CCPD aren't you?" Cisco asked. He drummed his fingers along the metal frame to his computer desk. "Why don't you just go visit them in Iron Heights and flash your badge or something?"

Barry thought for a moment, wondering if there was any sort of good excuse that could be used to get him out of this jam. There was a reason he didn't lie so much, he was terrible at it. Even his parents could immediately figure out when something was going on by even a slight hesitation.

"Captain Singh says that because I work with forensics specifically that we should keep it to the metahuman task force to deal with," Barry finally said. He glanced at Cadence, hoping that there wasn't' anything she heard around the CCPD that would refute his claims. "But Joe will keep us informed if there's anything that comes up."

"Looks like we've come to an endpass." Harrison's eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed at Barry. He removed one hand from his stomach and rested it on the joystick that maneuvered his wheelchair around. "Please let us know if there's anything that comes up and we'll move in on it as soon as possible."

Barry nodded.

Then Harrison turned his attention to Caitlin and Cisco. "We'll need to be more diligent to determine where the next viable hit for a metahuman attack to be," he added. "Not just with the sensors we have for robberies, but for a full scale attack, much like what happened while you all were in Metropolis. I've been continuously studying the news over there and while Superman has been holding an impressive record against the metahumans and other beings that have appeared over there. Kent's party was the perfect place for someone to attack, and Central City isn't exactly low on showcasing their extravagance when the time comes."

"You mean like the warehouse that Captain Cold and HeatWave targeted that held all of those priceless cars?" Cisco made a chuckling sound. "Believe me, if I were a criminal those would be the first places I'd hit, too."

"We'll just do more patrols around the city, no big deal," Cadence said. "Better safe than sorry, right?" She ran a hand through her hair then let out a long breath. "The only thing that confuses me is that I don't understand why it's happening so much? It's been nearly every day now."

"Well, we won't know until we can pinpoint a culprit," Caitlin pointed out. She looked at her watch. "Wow, it's getting late. We should all probably get going." She motioned to Cisco. "You still wanted to get some takeout before getting the movies together, right?"

"Yes, ma'am," Cisco agreed. He reached out and clapped his hand onto Harrisons' shoulder. "Do you want to come over for Cisco Cinema? We're watching Jaws tonight."

Harrison smiled. "Ah, one of my favorites. Sadly, I'll have to pass. There's a lot of maintenance and inventory that needs to be done on the equipment here that I've been putting off."

"Are you sure?" Barry asked. "I can help; it'd only take a few minutes." He tried not to let his eagerness to help show. Anything that would keep the conversation from being about Becky. As it to prove his point, Barry speed changed out of his suit, a sports bag dangling from his shoulder.

"Believe it or not, this is something I find a lot of entertainment in," Harrison said. "Other than watching you two continue to improve in your skills and show Central City that there's nothing to be afraid of. Go have fun with your movie night."

"Sorry, I can't make it tonight," Cadence said. "Not only do I have to help Brady with the science project that he's seemed to have remembered is due in a couple of days, but I need to go over some new things I'm going to bring into my Zumba classes."

"That sounds like fun," Cisco said.

"It is until you realize that you can't do some more of your gymnastic stuff because 'the health center isn't liable for injuries'," Cadence said, mocking a high-pitched voice as she waved her hands back and forth. "You have someone pull a groin muscle once and you're branded for life."

"In their defense it was an older woman that did it," Barry reminded her.

"She shouldn't be trying to do a split anyway."

Caitlin laughed, hoisting her purse up over her shoulder. "C'mon, we'll walk you out. I'm riding along with Cisco as long as he promises that he cleaned out his car."

"That really depends on what your definition of clean is," Cisco pointed out.

Barry smiled and watched his friends leave before turning to Harrison, who had turned on the TV that hung over the floor of the Cortex. He moved it through a few channels, hardly looking at what came up onscreen before changing to another one.

"Is there any reason why you've wanted to stay here?" Harrison asked after a moment of silence between the two. "I can't imagine it's because of my company. Being a social pariah isn't what it's cracked up to be, I haven't been as entertaining as I may have been in the past."

"No, yeah, I, uh, I wanted to talk to you about something." Barry rubbed the back of his neck as he walked towards Harrison. Then when reaching his side he cleared his throat. "Um, has Mr. Nash called you at all? Just to talk or…something?"

"He has," Harrison said.

"I was just wondering. With his illness and everything—"

"—Barry, I've known you long enough to understand when you're trying your hardest to sound casual that you're not very good at it." Harrison managed a smile. "That's the entertaining part. But all the same your heart is there and while you're not one for confrontation sometimes you need to get to the point." He turned his chair to the side, eyes glinting behind his glasses when he trained his gaze on Barry. "Kent Nash and I haven't spoken to each other much since the car accident and even before then things had been strained due to our own issues with having grown apart." He paused for a moment then cleared his throat. "But that never meant I hated the man."

"So…he called?"

"He did. And we spoke to each other for a few minutes. Of course not to the extent that any of us would want, but it was a good conversation to have. I was very displeased to hear about his illness but was also very impressed to find he was working towards being at peace with his decision to live out the rest of his life despite the technological advances we have to potentially perform a successful surgery."

Barry nodded. They had been back from Metropolis for about a week and Harrison hadn't said anything about it, despite it seeming like they had spoken long before. He was about to ask why then decided not to, knowing how private Harrison could be.

"I believe you're asking me this for a certain reason, Mr. Allen. Care to ask?" He didn't give Barry a chance to respond. "Though if I know you as well as I think I've come to know you over the years you're wondering why I haven't said anything. Because, Barry, there are certain parts of everyone's life that isn't for everyone. There are many parts of my life that I keep to myself as it is something I'm dealing with in a relationship you're not quite well versed in just as everyone has. Caitlin with her mother, Cadence with her parents and Ryder, Cisco with his family…and there are people in your own life, a life before having become the Flash that the rest of us wouldn't know that you may not want to share."

Barry took in a sharp breath, but continued to watch Harrison.

"The thing that continuously surprises us about people is that you could know everything about them on the surface, but there are plenty of other parts that you don't. Which begs the question, can you ever truly know someone? With all of the sides of yourself you can hide, and they would never know."

"I think that's really horrifying, actually," Barry said slowly. There had been enough people in his life that had accused his father of killing his mother that he had a lot of time to think about it. When he was young there was a tiny thought in the back of his head that the doctors and psychologists were right, that he had seen his father murder his mother and was so traumatized his brain came up with the next best thing to cope. That he never truly knew his father as much as he thought he did.

He knew it wasn't the truth but there were many nights he wondered about it before finally steeling himself and determining that his father did not, in fact, kill her and that he knew his father better than anyone else. Once everything in his father's life was stripped away to nothing but a prison jumpsuit and sporadic visits from the world outside, he became very open and honest about a lot of things.

If only Barry could be the same.

Harrison gave a small smile. "You and me both, Mr. Allen." Then his eyebrows rose and he turned the channel to a station that was reporting news from Metropolis. "Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

"No. I'll see you later."

Barry turned and raced from the Cortex with a burst of speed.

* * *

"Okay, now pick a number between one and ten."

Confused, Cadence did as she was told and said, '7' then watched as Brady counted out seven playing cards in front of him. "What does this have anything to do with a magic trick?"

"You'll see," Brady replied.

"Or else that you're trying to stall from working on your science project." Even with a handful of cards in front of his face, Cadence could see Brady's face scrunch up the same way it did when he was displeased with something—mostly being forced to eat eggs for breakfast—and knew she was right.

With a smile, she pushed away from the kitchen table and went to the stove, watching as the pasta inside continued to cook. Not much longer until it was done. She then turned around at the same time there was a gust of wind and jumped, noticing Barry suddenly appearing behind her.

"You really have to stop doing that," she said, bringing a hand up to her chest.

"I knocked," Barry defended himself, referring to the quick taps that sounded before he appeared.

"Not that, I mean, moving around like a ninja," she said. Cadence then looked over at Brady, who was now picking up all 52 cards from the floor. "And distracting him from his homework."

"I was doing a magic trick and you ruined it," Brady said, kneeling on the floor of the kitchen. He picked up a handful of cards and eyed Barry for a moment. "Pick a number between one and ten."

"Nine," Barry said automatically.

"Why nine?"

"It's my lucky number," he explained.

"Oh. Is that how many times you asked mom out before she said 'yes'?"

"More like how many times he _tried_ to ask me out before he finally did it," Cadence replied, giving Barry a teasing smile when he rolled his eyes. "Quit stalling, get started."

Brady sighed, sitting back on his heels. "But I don't know what to do. Other people are already doing volcanoes, others are doing magnets, and someone's doing something with electricity and keys." He pouted. "There's nothing left to do."

"Is this a science fair kind of thing?" Barry asked. When Cadence nodded he grinned. "Then you're in luck, I'm the master of science fairs."

"Really? What'd you do for yours?" Brady asked.

The smile slowly started to wane from Barry's face. He cleared his throat, made a coughing sound, and rubbed his neck. "I made a molecular structure of chocolate and nougat…made out of every day household items at human sized."

Cadence laughed. "Wow, you really _are_ a science nerd!"

"It's my favorite candy and was the best excuse to be able to eat as much of it as I wanted," Barry defended himself.

"I could do the rock candy thing again," Brady mused.

"Not after all of those ants we finally got rid of, I don't think so," Cadence said. She reached out and started to stir the pot of noodles, watching as they spun through the water. "Oh, you could do the Walking Water Experiment."

"We saw that at camp last summer, I don't think I can do that one," Brady said glumly. "Too bad I can't do something with my powers, that'd be cool." He twisted his mouth. "Or that I can't take you guys with me to be my projects, that'd be fun."

Barry then snapped his fingers. "You can do something with batteries and gum wrappers or aluminum foil to make fire. Either that or you can make mini rockets out of it, if you have some matches."

"Mini rockets?" Brady asked. He tilted his head. "All with a battery?"

"Well, usually you'd have to use a lighter but I don't think your school would let you carry a lighter around everywhere and I don't think your mom would be able to explain being your personal lighter either," Barry said.

"I have some batteries in my room for my electronics," Brady said slowly.

"The bigger the better."

"I'll be right back."

Cadence sat down in a nearby chair. She nodded to where Brady had just been. "Thanks for that," she said. "Now I don't have to listen to him whining and complaining about it all night long." She looked at him curiously. "Though, something tells me you didn't come by to help a third grader's science project…or to have some of my pasta."

"I don't know, coming all the way over here made me a little hungry," Barry said. He sat down in the seat next to her.

"Well, you're welcome to stay for dinner but you didn't answer my question." She tilted her head and looked at him curiously. "Is something on your mind?" Barry was silent for a long moment as he brought his hands up to cover his mouth. His eyes shifted back and forth for a moment. Cadence leaned towards him. "Is it that case?"

"What case?" Barry asked, suddenly appearing startled.

"The one that made you go running back to Central City when we were ice skating," Cadence reminded him. She paused, waiting for a sign of recognition from him then softly smiled. "The one that made you look like you were about to punch someone in the face over."

Barry smiled.

Cadence smiled back and got up from her seat to moved to the counter at her side. Reaching up, she pulled two wine glasses out of the cabinet and set them on the counter before grabbing a wine bottle. "Do you like red wine or white wine?"

"White," Barry said. Cadence nodded and filled both glasses halfway before walking them back to the table, handing one to him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I think you need it a lot more than I do," Cadence said. She sat back down, tossing her hair behind her shoulders. "After running around the city like this so much without even an idea of what's going on."

"Well, considering I can't get drunk it's not going to help so much." Barry spun the liquid in his glass for a second before taking a sip. "Otherwise I'd say you were trying to seduce me."

"Mm, if I were I wouldn't need wine to do it. It seems to me that dressing up and soft jazz music will do the trick."

"I'm more of a jeans and sneakers guy," Barry said.

Cadence laughed. "You and I have that in common." She stretched out her legs and rested her bare feet atop his shoes. "And being metahumans, working at the CCPD, being at Jitters a little more than we probably should be, oh and seemingly being unable to keep our secret identities a secret for too long."

Barry laughed. He gently pushed his glass aside and leaned in, giving her a gentle kiss. Cadence smiled and kissed him back. Then she pulled back and her eyes narrowed as she said, "You don't have to watch," before turning her head to see Brady standing quietly in the doorway.

"My hands are full, I couldn't knock," he apologized. He walked into the kitchen and set a box of supplies down onto the table. "And I didn't want to interrupt." He turned to Barry. "Is all of this okay?"

Barry quickly glanced through it. "Yeah, that should be everything we need other than the aluminum foil."

Nodding, Brady went over t a cabinet and pulled out a box of aluminum foil. Then he tossed it onto the table and rested his chin in his hands. "Are you staying for dinner?" He turned to his mom. "Is Barry staying for dinner."

"He can if he wants," Cadence replied.

"That'd be great," Barry said. He shifted his feet, gently rubbing hers with his. "I kind of need to be around family right now."

* * *

 **A/N:** Wow, it's taken me a lot longer to update than I originally thought and it wasn't as action packed as the last ones had been. I apologize. But it was fluffly! Lol Hope you liked it.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	13. Chapter 13

**.:13:.**

* * *

"So I'm not the only one who noticed?"

"Definitely not," Cisco snorted. He leaned over and pressed his fingertip into the street sign to wait for the traffic light to change. Turning his back to the street, his eyes narrowed against the sunlight as he said, "You can't have bro's night without a bro. Do you really think only one person can handle an entire nexus by himself?"

"We wouldn't know, Cisco," Caitlin said to him. She turned to Cadence with a roll of her eyes and she smiled and nodded. "But yes, I've noticed the significant difference in his head space when testing his abilities. Even Dr. Wells has noticed he isn't completely focused on what we're doing. Has he said anything to you?"

"He keeps saying it's a police thing and Joe has backed him up on it." Cadence shrugged.

"But you don't believe him?" Caitlin pressed.

"No. Not completely," Cadence admitted. She sucked in a breath. "I can tell he's not being one hundred percent truthful. But I can't quite tell what about it isn't the truth and so far every time I've asked he just continues to go along with it being a police thing." She waved her hand as the light changed. Cisco's eyebrows rose and he applauded her, making her shake her head and laugh to herself. Then the three linked arms and made their way across the street with the rest of Central City's pedestrians. "He's a terrible liar."

"Yeah, I know, he keeps doing that stuttering thing he does," Cisco said. "Like he's caught in a lie."

"Actually, I can usually see it in his face. All three of you do that stuttering thing when you're lying and you're all _terrible_ liars," Cadence said.

"Hey!" Caitlin frowned. "I'm not a bad liar."

"Oh, and you and Cisco trying to come up with a good excuse to get out of work was convincing?" Cadence raised an eyebrow. "And that was before I just told him that we were going to Metropolis, but watching it was a joke."

"We just didn't know—"

"—how he'd react to you being around my other dad? Yeah, I think we got that by now considering he does everything but grunt and glare when I mention him." Cadence dropped her arms from Caitlin's and Cisco's when they made it to the other side of the street. "Not that that's what's important in this conversation. We're talking about Barry, remember?"

"Why don't we just sit him down and ask him?" Cisco asked. He punched a fist into his open palm. "Have an intervention."

"If asking him directly isn't getting any answers, what do you think an intervention is going to do?" Caitlin asked. "Not to mention, how would we get him to stay still? I don't know if you guys noticed, but he has super speed and no one can catch him let alone get him tied to a chair, so to speak."

"You sound like you've tried before," Cadence said.

"Just to test his strength," Caitlin said, her eyes shifting defensively.

"Oh yeah, that's it," Cisco laughed. Caitlin shoved him on the arm before the three ducked into Jitters and went to the counter to order. Once they got them they went to a table in the corner of the room and continued their conversation. "What else do we do? Just pretend that Barry's not keeping secrets from us now?"

"Or trust him that he knows it's a good idea to keep it," Cadence suggested. Caitlin and Cisco looked skeptical. "Look, I'm not saying that I'm not frustrated either, I'm surprised it isn't registering all over my face." She moved her hands in Madonna's vogue movements, making Cisco laughed. "Maybe just give him a little bit more time. Besides, we're a little busy trying to figure out this whole meta thing anyway, right? Any leads."

"Nothing other than the fact that we're sure the person's that's doing it doesn't realize they are and that they're a target for anyone that figures it out," Caitlin explained. She took a dainty sip of her iced coffee. "Otherwise, we're having a hard time deducing who it could be."

"You mean you can't just have Barry race around the city stealing DNA from everyone to analyze later?" Cadence asked sarcastically.

Cisco clapped his hands and pointed at Cadence. "Exactly what I was thinking! Man, you and me…" he pointed back and forth between their heads. "But Dr. Wells shot that down as soon as I came up with it so…guess we'll just have to wait a little bit longer. Boooring." He drummed his fingertips on the table top. "So we should do something. We haven't really had much time to relax and unwind."

"I thought that's what going to Metropolis was for," Caitlin said.

An unladylike snort escaped Cadence's lips. "That may have been relaxing for you, but it was nothing _but_ for me."

"I thought you and your mom were talking more now."

"We are, but now I think she's gone in the opposite direction and is trying to make up for everyone _so_ much that I can basically set my watch to when she's going to call to see how my day is going. Which, by the way, is going to be within the next hour." She pointed at Cisco. "But I do like your idea." She mused for a moment, tapping her chin. Then her eyes lit up and she sat up straight. "How about a beach day? Brady and I go every year and we haven't gone yet. Why don't you all come with us? It'll be a way to relax."

"Sounds good to me," Cisco agreed. He slapped the table with a fist. "Consider that my stamp of approval."

"And from Cisco you know that's the sincerest form of confirmation," Caitlin teased, tilting her head to the side and batting her eyelashes. Cisco mimicked her movements, making the girls laugh when he concluded with sticking out his tongue. "I don't know, do you really think Dr. Wells is going to let us have another day off work?"

"Dr. Wells probably wouldn't notice us _not_ being there for the day," Cisco said honestly. "It's like he's been somewhere else these days. Besides, if there's anything meta related you know we can get back there in a few seconds. No big deal. I'm in."

"I think we already got the point that you want to go," Caitlin said. She thought for a minute, drumming her fingers on the table top. "Yeah, that sounds good. We should go. When were you planning on it?"

"If tomorrow doesn't work then a couple of days."

Now Cisco snorted. "Seems like you're working to get out sooner rather than later."

"Actually, I'm thinking more like the sooner we get there, the sooner I get away from cell reception." Cadence waved her phone as it started to ring. "What'd I tell you? Within the hour." She started to get up as Iris walked over to their table with a rag. "Hey, Iris, do you want to come to the beach with us in a couple of days?"

"And to think I was going to spend my upcoming day off re-working my blog," She said, placing her rag down on the table to clean it. Caitlin, Cisco, and Cadence moved their drinks out of the way so she could do so. "But the beach sounds so much better." She looked at the three for a second. "Hey, have you guys noticed anything going on with Barry lately? He's seemed really…I don't know, out of it."

"And to think we just thought it was us," Cisco said. Caitlin shot out her foot and kicked him in the shin at the same time Cadence punched him on the shoulder. "Ow!" he contorted himself to rub his shin and elbow as Iris looked at them funny. Cisco forced a laugh. "You know, just random body cramps that I get sometimes, after working out."

"You work out?" Iris asked.

Now Cisco made a face at her.

Cadence laughed and went to answer her phone while Caitlin brought her hand to her mouth to stifle her giggling.

"Girls," Cisco mumbled.

* * *

Iris lowered herself down onto the arm of the couch in the West house, tucking her towel in her arms. She stretched her free arm out across the back of the couch and tapped her fingertips against the leather, starting to pick at a loose thread. "So…" She said slowly. "What's been going on lately?"

Barry looked up from his drawstring bag. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, has anything been going on?"

Barry grinned, leaning back against the couch cushions. He loosely draped his arms around his upraised knees. "There's you wondering things, and then there's you trying to be nonchalant about wondering things, Iris. You're not very subtle."

For a moment Iris's mouth dropped. "I'm just trying to figure out what's going on with my friend. Ever since you came back from Metropolis it's like you're constantly on the go."

Barry shook his head, stalling for time. How much longer was he going to have to think things quiet? Becky was doing a better job at taking control of her powers, but it still wasn't perfect. There were still incidents going on around the city and…Barry knew everyone around him was starting to become suspicious. Not just because of what was going on with her but then there were those who were trying to question The Flash. And that's what was making things even harder for him. He thought he could handle the balance between his 'real life' and his 'Flash life' but now he was coming to find they were more intertwined than it had ever been.

More often than not he was starting to wonder what life was like if he was still normal. It'd probably be fairly boring but at least he wouldn't have to worry about keeping Becky a secret from everyone. "There's just a lot going on at work," Barry said. He started to pick at his the rubber lining of his flip-flops. "I've started to get backed up with my reports and the evidence testing that needs to be done and it's starting to take a toll." That actually was the truth. With his brief time in Metropolis he had fallen behind with it and wasn't catching up no matter how much of them he actually sped through.

Actually, it was more that he had become careless. With so much on his mind he would put in some wrong equations of solutions when filling out forms and wrong information when doing tests, having to start them all over again. Captain Singh hadn't said anything about it yet, thankfully. And no one else had mentioned anything. But then again he had Joe on his side to know what truly was going on, despite how much he pressed into Barry telling the others, questioning further why he hadn't.

Barry was asking himself that time and time again now. Especially after having had dinner with Brady and Cadence not long ago. He had a lot of fun helping Brady out with his science project, setting them off a few too many times so that the fire alarms went off, much to Cadence's displeasure despite their charming smiles in response. Then once Brady went to bed, after begging to stay up 'a little bit longer' for the next half hour, and got some quiet time along with her. And while he enjoyed the time of sitting on the couch, watching a movie together with his arm around her, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

Guilty that he was enjoying himself and guilty that he wasn't able to be honest with everyone. Sure, the thoughts left his head as soon as they started kissing, but it came back when he was trying to get to sleep.

"So there's nothing going on?"

"No."

"Nothing at all?"

"No."

"You sure?"

Now Barry looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Is there something _you're_ not telling me?" He teased. "You seem to be so much into my life that you might be projecting. So what is it? Are you having problems with Eddie?"

"What? No? Why would I be having problems with Eddie?" Iris's eyes widened in surprise. That made Barry smile wider. Now she was on the other end of the pointed questions. "We're doing fine."

"Just fine?" Barry teased.

Iris reached over and shoved him on the arm. "Knock it off. I'm just worried about you. You're my best friend, I think I'd notice if you're drawing in on yourself." Her face became serious. "The last time I saw you that way…it was after your mom died and you dad was sent away. I just want to make sure that everything's okay."

"Everything's fine."

"How come I don't believe that?"

"Because you don't trust me."

"I trust you one hundred percent, bare. It's everything else I don't trust." Barry paused, looking at her as Iris looked over her shoulder at the sound of a horn being honked. Then Iris grabbed her bag and hurried out the front door with Barry slowly following behind her.

 _What was that supposed to mean?_ Barry thought. He closed and locked the door to the house behind him, walking down the steps. ' _It's everything else I don't trust'._ He looked up, noticing slight arguing and found Eddie and Cadence standing next to each other, holding out maps in their hands.

"I've been to this beach hundreds of times before, I know where I'm going," Cadence was saying. "And you take the highway."

"You don't need to take the highway unless you're sure there's going to be traffic backing up the other roads to get straight there," Eddie replied. He turned his map to the side and drew his fingertip up a line. "There's no chance there's going to be any traffic so we can go this way. It'd cut about a half hour off the time."

"A half hour is nothing."

"It is when you're stuck sitting there roasting to death when you could be roasting to death on beach towels."

"I'm sure your abs would be as blinding as your white teeth would be," Cadence pointed out, closing her map like an accordion. "I'm trying to keep everyone else from having to suffer." She paused for a moment. "I mean, Iris won't but you get my point."

Eddie then closed up his map with an indignant push of his hands. "Has anyone ever told you that you can be really annoying?"

"Yes," Brady piped up, leaning out the window of the backseat of Cadence's car.

Cadence reached over and smacked the brim of his hat, knocking it into his eyes. "No one asked you."

Brady smiled and shrugged. He then turned and noticed Iris and Barry and waved frantically. "Iris, Barry, are you ready to go to the beach!" Iris laughed and waved back. Then she walked over to Eddie and gave him a kiss. "For a trip to the beach? Yeah, totally ready. I think all of us needed some time away from the city today."

"You have no idea," Eddie said. He stretched his arms over his head. "So let's get going. I want to get there before the crowd." Cadence started to say something in response then stopped, holding her hands up in the air.

Barry laughed, walking over to her. "You look like you want to set his pants on fire," he remarked.

"He'd have to be lying for that to be funny, Tholly," Cadence replied. She smiled when he kissed her cheek. "Hey, sorry I fell asleep on you. But I did warn you that I've never seen a Pirate's of the Caribbean movie from start to finish. I always fall asleep."

"That's okay." Barry smiled. "I've seen it a hundred times. Your snoring added extra to the movie's soundtrack playing in the background." He laughed and Cadence smacked him in the stomach.

"I don't snore!"

"Yes, you do," Barry insisted. "It's not really a snore, actually. It's more like, very heavy breathing with a squeaking sound every few seconds. Kind of like a dog toy." He held up his hands. "Not that you remind me of a do toy, but it is just as cute."

Cadence chuckled. "Nice save," She remarked then kissed the underside of his jaw. "You almost crashed and burned on that one."

"Pun intended?"

"Exactly!"

"Let's go people!" Cisco declared, clapping his hands together. "We don't have a lot of daylight and I plan on taking full advantage of the day." With that the group separated into their two cars, with Eddie and Cadence driving their two separate ways to get there—of which Barry was sure it was only because she couldn't teleport with Eddie and Iris being there, also being why Barry allowed himself to sit in the back of the car.

Plus, it helped that it gave him time to relax even a little bit. He felt even better when finally arriving at the beach. He got out of the car and stretched lazily, taking in the sun, surf, and sand. There weren't too many people at the beach already and that was just how he wanted it. A day to laze around with all of his friends and not worry about anything going on in the city. With their towels tucked under their arms the group headed over to an empty space of sand.

Barry unraveled his towel and stretched out across it, resting his hands behind his head. A low sigh escaped his lips. Finally, _finally_ he could fell all of his stressors leaving him. Caitlin laughed as she took out her own towel and sat down, starting to rub sunscreen on her arms, face and neck. "Looks like you're getting more out of this than we are."

"You have no idea," Barry said.

"Hope you're not too relaxed for sunscreen," she said, waving it in his face.

Barry opened his eyes behind his sunglasses and asked, lowering his voice, "Aren't I too fast to get burned?" There was a smug air to his tone that wasn't missed. So much so that Caitlin slammed the bottle onto his stomach. "Ow!"

"There's such a thing as skin cancer, Barry.

"I already got that riot act," Cadence said. She sat on her own towel, rubbing her collarbone and the area of her chest that wasn't covered by her bikini top. "I don't ever burn but I get warned about skin cancer all the time." She then turned and slathered a handful of sunscreen onto Brady's face.

"Hey!" He protested, before spitting out a mouthful. "Mom!" Using both hands, he started to vigorously rub the sunscreen off his face. Opening an eye, he waited until Cisco was preoccupied with his own dose before slapping some onto his leg. Cisco glared at him and Brady smiled sweetly in response.

"That's payback for saying I'm annoying."

"Okay, let's get going!" Iris got to her feet, planting her hands on her hips. "Come on, I want to play some volleyball."

"What about teams?" Eddie asked. He dusted sand off his hands and stood up, making sure not to knock over the picnic basket beside them. "How about me, Caitlin, Barry, and Brady against Cade, Cisco, and Iris." He then noticed the looks on Barry's and Iris's faces. "What?"

"We're not allowed to play volleyball against each other anymore," Iris muttered, digging her toes into the sand. "Not since the West family reunion of 2000 where we managed to break nearly ever glass there."

"Who's 'we'?" Barry demanded. "You were the one who got a little bit too competitive."

Iris placed her hands on her hips. "You were the one who said I wouldn't be able to get the ball over te net."

"You couldn't even reach the top of it."

"Neither can Cade, an she's shorter than me!"

"Hey!" Indignantly, Cadence placed her hands on her hips. "I may be short but I can play. You're all just lucky we're not playing powderpuff football or you'd all be sorry." She got to her feet, dusting off her hands as well.

"Powderpuff?" Cisco repeated.

"It's where girls play football and the guys are the cheerleaders," she explained. "We did it to raise money for homecoming every year."

"No, I know what it is. I'm just sorry that my school never played it," Cisco said. He stood up and made a show of stretching his arms. "It doesn't matter what the teams are because whomever has me on their team is going to lose."

"What makes you say that?" Caitlin asked. She studied the back of her bottle of sunscreen before putting some more on.

"I've played enough Wii Big Beach Sports to be unbeatable. Ask my mom and she'll tell you. She's the only one I trust to by my doubles partner and we've never been beaten."

Brady smiled. Then he pressed his finger to his chin as he looked Cisco over. "Um, Cisco, aren't you going to be a little hot wearing that shirt all day?"

Cisco's smile immediately faded. "Not everyone can be as lucky in the genetics department as Detective Pretty Boy over there," he jerked his thumb over to Eddie, who adopted Barry's 'wounded puppy' expression, then motioned to Barry. "And not many people can say 'lightning gave them abs'." He used air quotes around the words.

Cadence crossed her arms, Caitlin tilted her head, and Barry glared at Cisco. It took Cisco a few seconds longer to realize what he had just said before his eyes widened and a nervous laugh escaped his lips. "Ha, like that's even possible. Ha, ha, I mean…strange things have happened since Barry was struck by lightning but you can only be in a coma for so long with…nothing happening…right?"

"Nice save," Cadence said sarcastically.

"No, he's right," Iris broke in. "Weird things have happened to people who've been struck by lightning. One guy in…um…" she started to snap her fingers. "Switzerland or Sweden suddenly became very metallic. And there was this other guy who suddenly was able to speak fluently in two more languages than he knew before." All eyes turned to her. "What, can't a girl watch the science channel every now and then?"

"Syfy, maybe but not science," Eddie teased. Iris shoved him on the shoulder. "Okay, okay, let's play."

With Brady opting to keep score for the two teams, mostly saying he wanted to stay out of their way if they got too competitive, the volleyball game started. Eddie, Cadence, and Cisco played against Barry, Iris, and Caitlin. It was a good balance on either side, with Eddie, Cadence, Barry, and Iris being the more athletic of the teams—despite Cisco pointing out that Barry may not be the one to fall into that category, Cisco and Caitlin being less so, and Iris and Cadence being the shortest.

Thankfully, the game didn't become too competitive as the ball tended to make it back and forth across the net a few times before it was knocked straight into the net or managed to be hit too far for the other team to get a chance to make it back. Still, it was a fun game to play. Barry tried his hardest not to use a little bit of his power every now and then, feeling himself loosen up and lose his inhibition as he did so. For a brief moment, Barry thought Becky might've been around, but just realized it was the only time he had a chance to truly relax. The friends screamed with laughter as they dove into the sand to get the ball, climbed over each other to knocked it back over the net, and teasingly taunted each other to miss a hit.

They played for a few hours until Brady—and Cisco—complained about being hungry, leaving the score tied at an abysmal 6-6. Barry laughed breathlessly as he collapsed stomach first onto his towel, allowing the sun to beat down on his back. Cadence crawled onto her towel next to him.

"I don't think I've seen you laugh so much before, Tholly," she remarked.

Barry pushed himself up onto his elbows. "Other than watching Caitlin get uptight over a game of Operation?"

"I'm _not_ uptight!" Caitlin snapped.

Cadence laughed, brushing her hair from her face. "Yeah, since then." Barry leaned in and gave her a kiss. "I'm not complaining." She wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "I think I'd like to have this Barry around a little bit longer." They kissed again.

"Are you going to eat or just eat each other's faces?" Brady asked, mouthful of a sandwich he grabbed from the picnic basket.

Cadence laughed and rolled over, pulling himself up into a sitting position. "Way to be a buzz kill, bud."

"You're welcome!"

"Yeah, you know it's not like there aren't any single people here," Cisco added pointedly, motioning between himself and Caitlin. He looked pointedly at Iris and Eddie, where Iris sat in Eddie's lap, her arm around his neck and his hand resting on her bare thigh. "Feeling like third wheels."

"Actually, it's fifth and sixth," Brady spoke up. Cisco glared at him and he smiled again.

Barry glanced at his phone as it started to vibrate, then picked it up, quickly answering the text he received. He then leaned over and rooted into the picnic basket for his lunch. "Yes! Noodles!"

"Your favorite," Iris reminded him.

Caitlin looked at Barry with a disapproving eyebrow raise. "That's not nearly enough calories you need for the day." She bit her lip. "I mean, considering how much we were just running around the beach."

"I'll be fine." Barry waved off her concerns and quickly dug in. Though he _did_ feel a little woozy. He hadn't used his powers at all, but he had been running around a lot that day. And he hadn't really eaten much that morning; he was too busy getting extra work done before they left on their beach trip. As it was, Barry was on his way to already finishing his food and was looking for more.

Seeing to notice his plight, Caitlin sarcastically asked, "Do you plan on catching a fish with your bare hands, Barry?" He stuck his tongue out at her and she surprised him by sticking hers out back at him. Always more conservative it was good to see her let loose a little.

They continued to eat, joking around as they did so and all the while Barry's phone continued to alert him of the incoming texts he received. It wasn't until they all decided to go out into the water when Cisco finally asked about it. "Is Captain Singh demanding you to get back to work?"

"How do you know it's not a meta?" Caitlin asked.

"Because my phone would be rining off the hook, okay?" Cisco replied. He punched his thumb into his chest then winced, rubbing the spot. "I'm the go-to for the meta-distress, okay?"

"Okay."

"No," Barry tossed his phone aside. "It's just Becky."

Cisco lifted an eyebrow, turning his head to watch Barry go out into the water. "Have you noticed he's been saying that a lot today?"

"Yeah," Caitlin said quietly. "I noticed."

* * *

"Barry, stop!" Cadence cried, holding her hands up to shield her face from the water flying her way.

But Barry continued to rapidly move his arms, enough so that the water around them became choppy and other bystanders couldn't tell he was using his powers to do so. Finally, Cadence lifted her hands and followed the arcs of water through the air, using her own powers to blast away the water. Steam erupted from her hands as they came into contact with the water.

Then she surged forward in the water and crashed into Barry, knocking the two into the ocean water. Barry held his breath as he fell backwards, wrapping his arms around Cadence's back to hold her steady as they fell. The two were laughing as they got up to their feet, wiping water away from their faces before kissing.

"What?" Barry asked, when Cadence continued to laugh when the kiss ended.

"Nothing," she said. "I'm just happy."

Barry wrapped his arm around her shoulders in a hug, nodding in agreement. He took the time to look around the beach. There were so many people having a good time, without a care in the world. And, thankfully, _thankfully_ it was that day for them.

"Mom," Brady called from where he splashed in the water with Iris and Eddie, holding onto a body board. "Mom! Watch me jump off that rock!" He pointed towards it as he moved over.

Cadence shook her head, dropping her arm from around Barry. "Sorry, bud, the water's too deep over there."

Brady turned the corners of mouth down to a pout. "But you guys all did it."

"That's because we're taller than you."

"Not by much."

Barry choked back his laughter as Cadence's eyes narrowed. "We're strong swimmers."

"Mom, please!"

"No."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Barry reassured her. He started to wade over to him. "I'll do it with him to make sure nothing happens." Without waiting for an answer, Barry went over to Brady and scooped him up under the arms and placed him on his shoulders. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah!" Brady replied, clamping his hands down onto Barry's shoulders.

"You're not scared?"

"No."

Barry went over to the rock and removed Brady from his shoulders to climb up. Brady eagerly climbed to the top with Barry moving slowly after him. Then the young boy looked over at the edge and frowned. "Wow, that's high."

It was about a ten foot drop, Barry noted. Nothing too high for him, only a few feet higher than he was tall. But if he was eight years old and standing at the top of it, it seemed even higher than it actually was. He practically heard Brady's gulp as he did so.

"You ready to go?" Barry asked him.

Brady took a step back, pressing his lips together. Then he took a deep breath and nodded, smiling up at Barry. "Yeah, let's go."

"Are you sure?"

"If you think about it too much, you won't do it." Brady then yelled. "Mom, are you watching?"

"I'm watching."

"No, you're not!"

"I'm looking right at you!"

Barry laughed and patted Brady on the shoulder. "Ok, on 3 then." Barry counted down and the two leapt off the rock, falling into the water. Barry kicked his legs as he came to the surface, treading water with long swipes of his arms and slow kicks of his legs. He looked over the beach suddenly wondering what it would've been like if his parents were there, too. He hadn't thought of them in a long time. But they used to go to the beach and the boardwalk in Florida when they went to Disney World every summer. Then when they passed Joe tried his hardest to get them to do as many good vacations and Barry knew it was always for him, to try and give him a semblance of what his life used to be like.

He wondered if his mom was watching him now. Having a good time. Wishing she was there with them.

 _"Barry!"_

"Barry."

Barry snapped out of his thoughts and immediately whipped to the side, his heart nearly exploding out of his chest when he realized what was going on. How long had he been out? Brady's hands frantically lapped at the water barely hold his chin up above the water as the tops of the small waves around him lapped at his lips. His eyes were wide with fear as he looked at Barry, mouth frozen.

Barry then surged forward and kicked frantically, grabbing onto Brady's arm. As soon as they touched, Brady grabbed onto Barry's arm and practically climbed up his body and head. Finally finding his voice, he cried frantically, loud, terrified sobs.

"It's okay, I got you," Barry said, holding onto him tightly with one arm, using his other to pull himself forward through the water. "Hey, it's okay." But his heart beat rapidly and now he understood what people meant when they said it thought it would break out of his chest. He could feel Brady trembling.

"Brady!" Barry looked up to see Cadence frantically running in the water towards them.

"Mom." Brady reached out and grabbed onto his mother and Cadence held him close to her body, hurrying back up onto the beach.

"Cade, I'm sorry," Barry apologized.

Cadence barely gave him a backwards glance. "Not now, Barry," she said.

Barry brought up a hand and wiped water off his face. He looked at his feet, watching the waves move sand out from beneath his feet. He wanted nothing more than to be buried right there. Because he should've seen it coming; every time something good happened, every time they had a good day something bad happened.

But this time he was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he singlehandedly ruined one of the best days he had in a while.

And things could've been much worse.


	14. Chapter 14

**.:14:.**

* * *

"So, you must be getting tired of coming to see me," Becky said, setting her coffee aside.

Barry lowered his own cup from his mouth and shook his head. "Not at all." He looked out across the grassy knoll that sat beside Central City Square. On the other side was the playground where a gaggle of children swarmed. They screeched with laughter as they ran around. Barry smiled to himself, but it didn't hold too long. He didn't feel there was anything to be so worried about but…it was a risk being so close to her when he could use his powers suddenly. All with no way to control himself.

No, that wasn't what he was so upset about. He was still worried over what had happened with Brady at the beach and…how he handled it. He was supposed to be a hero but put him in danger. And even after that it was like he couldn't catch a break. Cadence said he wasn't mad, but even he could tell she was distancing herself a little bit. He didn't blame any of them. Becky was scared and didn't understand what being one truly meant. She was desperate to not have her powers anymore and was still desperate for no one else to know.

"I've seen how metahumans are treated," she pointed out.

"But I'm telling you, my friends will accept you just fine," Barry insisted.

"Can you promise that? I can make other metahumans use their powers when I'm around. What if they get found out or something?"

"They don't have any powers, Becky."

"But you all work with people that do. I'd just put them in danger." Becky shook her head. "I just wish you could understand."

"I _do_ understand."

"No, you don't. Your powers help people. You can do whatever you want with them and people would, at best, see it as a neat party trick. But me? What if the other person could create bombs and I was standing next to them?"

Barry couldn't help but admit she had a point. He thought of Bette Sans Souci then. There wasn't a lot he could do to help her. She could make bombs out of literally anything she touched. Even if she was wearing gloves there was the chance she would develop her powers enough to get through the material and create and explosive that would wipe out a city block. There was only so many risks they could take. Still, he hated lying to his friends about it so much.

"If it's what she wants, then we have to do it," Joe pointed out. Barry had given him a look and Joe crossed his arms. "I don't want this as much as you do. But I also don't want her to get mixed up with Harrison Wells."

'Dr. Wells isn't bad, Joe, you know that," Barry pointed out.

"He's been good with you because he made you. He's been good with Cadence because she's his daughter. But we don't really know what it is he really plans to do with the metas that you've been holding onto down in the pipeline."

"We're rehabilitating them, Joe."

"When have you had the time to do it? When you're not working you're running around the city taking in more metahumans." Joe shook his head. "Unless she says something to you to then we have to keep her away from STAR Labs."

"I can't keep lying to my friends about it," Barry said.

"Barry, you're not seeing the big picture," Joe pointed out. He placed his hands on Barry's shoulders. "What if someone like Captain Cold or the Reverse-Flash gets their hands on her? What if someone figures out her powers and decides to use her to their advantage?"

That was the biggest problem. There were too many 'what ifs' and scenarios that could happen. And it was starting to pile up more and more as the days passed. And Barry understood both sides of the situation. When he first got his powers, he was as terrified as he was excited. Even more so when he was fighting off the tornado that Clyde Mardon had created.

"O, come on, Barry," Becky said. She nudged him on the arm. "You don't have to come to see me every time I call to hang out and yet, here you are." She brushed her hair behind her ear. "You must want to hang out with your friends more. Or have more important things to do."

"I still see my friends and unless a bank is being robbed I don't need to get back to work for another twenty minutes," Barry said. "I like hanging out with you." Becky started to laugh quietly. Barry smiled, happy to see she was finally starting to act like herself again. She always was very lively. "What's so funny?"

"That's the same thing you said before I asked you out," Becky said. She continued to laugh, making Barry smile as well. "Only, you didn't get that I _was_ asking you."

"Well, I didn't think you'd want to go out with me," Barry defended himself.

"Because I was the popular girl?" Becky rolled her eyes as the statement. "God, I can't believe I cared about that so much back then. It's so stupid."

"Well, you say that now. But high school was a completely different world for us." Barry finished his coffee and set his to-go cup aside. "No, it wasn't that you were popular that was weird." He paused for a second. "Okay, maybe a little. But I didn't understand why you'd like me. All we did was do our homework together."

"And talked. No one really talked to you other than Iris."

"Not many people wanted to get to know the son of the guy who murdered his mother."

"Or, Barry, _you_ didn't want to talk to anyone," Becky pointed out.

Barry thought about it for a moment. He wondered how true it was. When he was younger, Iris was his only and best friend. They walked to and from school together, did homework together, and when they weren't in the same class, would at least eat lunch together. Back then he had to work with other students on projects and other classwork but when it came to PE he was chosen last or not chosen at all, no one talked to him during snack time, and he constantly buried his nose in a book.

It was no wonder Tony Woodward had bullied him so relentlessly.

Once it was determined how smart he was (what other kid created an exact atomic replica of chocolate and nugget for a science project?) that seemed to alienate people even further. But Barry remember after the first few tries to talk to others, his nerves getting the better of him, feeling like everyone was staring, that he didn't speak much. Teachers loved him because he was so well-behaved and got good grades, but what did that mean when he got older? In middle and high school, he was still a loner; even with the science teams and clubs he was on they didn't hang out afterwards.

Imagine his surprise when the most popular girl in school was asking him for help on her homework and he found that he really did enjoy her company and that she enjoyed his as well. As a matter of fact, he nearly choked when she pointed out that she was, in fact, asking him out on a date.

"Maybe a little," he finally admitted. "I just didn't think anyone would want to. I got bullied enough that I stopped trying."

"Except for Iris," Becky pointed out.

"Yeah."

"And you're still best friends," Becky agreed. She crossed her legs at the knee, bouncing her foot up and down. "You know, I don't think she liked me very much back then."

"Iris? No, she liked you just fine," Barry said.

Becky giggled again. "You're still a terrible liar, Barry. I know Iris didn't like me. For a while I thought it was because she liked you, too. I mean, your crush on her was as obvious as the sun shining." Barry felt his cheeks flush. He knew how he felt about Iris was obvious but not _that_ obvious. Then again, Eddie had seemed to suss it out pretty quickly and he hadn't known the detective that long. "But then I realized it was because she was just really protective of you. And I don't blame her. You've been through a lot in your life."

"Oh, so _that's_ why you asked me out," Barry teased.

"No, Barry. I went out with you because I liked you. I thought there was more to you than everyone else was able to see and I was glad to learn it." Her eyes lit up with mischief. "Remember the time you met my parents?"

Barry thought for a moment then laughed, resting his face in his hands. "Oh God. Do they still talk about that?"

"Well, I don't know many other people that got so nervous they puke the second they swallowed water," Becky pointed out. She lifted a finger and, to drive the point home, added, "And nearly passed out."

It was something that even Joe and Iris continued to bring up to him. And it still embarrassed the hell out of him. But at least he could laugh about it now. "I'd never met anyone's parents before. And, like I said, I didn't know how anyone would react to knowing it was me. I could barely write my name on the SATs without wondering what the people grading it would say."

"That's you're the smartest person ever," Becky pointed out. "And that you could do whatever you wanted, go to whatever school you wanted…you could've gone to Harvard or Stanford—"

"Like I would've been able to afford that."

"Scholarships."

He _did_ get a lot of full ride scholarships to the colleges and universities he applied to. He had the pick of the litter and yet…he couldn't go too far away from Central City. It was his home and everything he ever knew. He never understood how strong separation anxiety could be until it was time for him to leave. But college was amazing. There were a few people that knew who he was, sure, but enough that didn't and it was all he needed.

"I just couldn't stay away, I love this city too much," Barry said.

Becky's eyebrows came together. "Even though everyone seemed to turn their back on you?" Barry shrugged and nodded. "If it helps, I never thought your dad did it." He turned to look at her. "I've seen your mom and dad together a lot when we were growing up. They were at every play, every back to school night, your mom was even our room mother for most of elementary school. I'd never seen them fight. And as far as parents go they were really cool. It didn't make sense to me that your dad would suddenly stop loving your mom to do that. Too bad a lot of other people didn't think that, too."

Barry nodded. He hadn't been there for the trial other than to be asked a few questions of what he saw that night. He hadn't seen his father breakdown more than when the guilty verdict had been read. And only now that he was old enough to truly understand, his father held up very well for someone who lost all faith from his family, friends, and peers.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up," she quickly apologized. "I know it can't be easy for you."

"Things are much better now," Barry said honestly. "I don't feel so embarrassed by it. And my dad is holding a good attitude for someone whose been in jail as long as he has. Somehow, he keeps a smile on his face every time I go see him." He took a deep breath. He'd never admitted this next part to anyone. "Sometimes, I think I've gotten to know him better that he's been in there than I ever could."

"Well, I'm glad I've gotten to know you again, too," Becky said.

Barry smiled at her. "Me, too."

As it was, he was surprised he hadn't raced away yet. She must've been working hard to keep things under control.

Now, if only he could do the same.

* * *

Cadence sighed, pulling off her disposable gloves with a loud _smack_. She chucked them into a trash can then checked her clothes to be sure her overcoat and other preventive measures kept her from getting blood and other bodily fluids all over her. The last thing she worried about, honestly, was the smell. It clung to her every now and then, to the point that her apartment started to smell medicinal every now and then.

But the days where she was working on bodies were at least more interesting than doing paperwork all day. Not only did she have the background of the person she was working on, but it was a way to give them and the family answers when needed. Not to mention, it reminded her that they were people rather than just the bodies that were brought in. And everyone deserved to have their stories told.

 _What about Barry?_ The thought entered her head, immediately annoying herself. Everyone deserved to have their stories told but that didn't mean everyone had to listen. Turning off the light to examination room, Cadence walked into her office and got to work on the medical examination report that was to be given to Captain Sing and the other officers working on the case. She also made a note to contact the family and the funeral home to determine when it would be picked up.

The one thing she didn't like about her job she otherwise loved was knowing how long bodies could be left there. Ghosts were something she'd feared since she was young and she also had the irrational fear that one day someone was going to wake up on the examination table. Though that _would_ be a pretty good prank for the CCPD the next Halloween.

Elbow deep in writing out the report, Cadence's stomach started to growl. She hadn't realized how hard she'd been working, going through her lunch break. She had only just pulled her bag from the mini-fridge in the corner when she heard a knock at her door. She didn't have to look up to know who it was, he was the only one who knocked. Captain Sing, Eddie, Joe, and any other officer or detective started speaking before they reached the door.

"Hey," Barry greeted her.

Cadence sat down at her desk and made herself busy opening her lunch. "Hey," she replied.

"I, uh, I was just wondering how things were going," Barry said. He tentatively walked into the room, sitting in the chair across from her desk. Cadence lifted an eyebrow, tried not to snort. It was the understatement of the year; he'd been texting and calling her nearly every day to ask how Brady was doing and she'd give status updates but not say anything else.

Yes, he was doing fine.

Yes, he's still a little shaken up.

No, he's not afraid of the water.

No, you can't come see him.

"Things are fine," Cadence replied. She leaned back and tapped her fingertips on the arm of her large, leather chair. "But if it's Brady you're asking about, he's just fine."

"I'm really sorry," Barry said.

"I know."

"I didn't mean for it to happen."

"I know."

"It was just one second he was there and the next he was gone. I hadn't realized there was a rip there."

Actually, the other issue was that he had gotten his foot wedged into a crevice in the rock beneath him. It had been covered by the depth of the water and the breaking waves. Not only that, but from where Brady had jumped down into the water as well. He was short enough that it was hard for his head to break the surface of the water, making him panic even further. It wasn't' entirely Barry's fault, it could've happened to any of them—more than likely it would've happened to her as she wasn't so tall, but at least she'd be able to teleport out of it. Brady was still learning his new powers that being stuck in that terror-filled situation was understandable for him to panic.

It must've matched the full-blown panic Cadence felt, seeing her son desperately grasp for something to hold onto. But it couldn't have rivaled the intense anger she felt as it happened after Barry had specifically undermined what she had told her son not to do. Not that she could get a word in edge-wise, when it came to his powers and sense of vulnerability he had the tendency to jump into things blindly. Normally, she really liked that about him but when it came to that one time…

 _One time is enough,_ Cadence thought.

"Barry," Cadence said calmly.

Maybe a little _too_ calmly, she could see the hesitation flash through his eyes. And for a moment she thought of not saying anything. Of letting him know that things were okay; Brady wasn't dead. He wasn't hurt in any way. But he had clung to her like a koala for the rest of the day, afraid to go back into the water any further than his waist. When he wasn't tossing a football back and forth with Eddie, anyway.

And she could see how much that had hurt Barry. She loved that he was a great friend to Brady but, while doing that last time, he wasn't a very good friend to her. And the last thing she didn't tolerate was when anyone treated her badly. She had dropped enough people in her life for that very reason to easily have the conversation. But with Barry, it hurt more than she thought it ever would.

She never wanted to hurt him more than she had before, having had betrayed him with the Assassination Bureau. She remembered how much she had cried when she saw the look on his face after realizing she had betrayed him, how much her heart hurt.

Still, if they were going to be partners, if they were going to date, if they were going to be _friends_ it was a conversation that needed to be had.

"I know you're mad," Barry broke in. He spoke rapidly, almost too the point of his speed-speech as she dubbed it. When he used his powers to speak so fast that only a buzzing sound came from his mouth. Very similar to when he disguised his voice to those who didn't know he was The Flash. She couldn't keep up with what he was saying.

Eyes widening in surprise, Cadence continued to watch his mouth move at rapid speed as she struggled to make sense of the buzzing. Finally, she slapped her hands over her ears and let out a frustrated sigh, making Barry immediately stop.

"I-I'm sorry," he apologized quickly. "You were trying to say something."

"No, I'm sorry, that was rude," Cadence apologized. She lowered her hands from her ears, nose wrinkling when she smelled the acrid smell of smoke. She looked around the room, wondering if she had accidentally set the wastebasket on fire again, then looked down at her sandwich. With a face, she picked it up and blew out the small flame that singed the edge of the lettuce. "Darn it."

"Think of it this way, you basically made a panini," Barry reassured her.

She managed a small smile, putting her lunch back down, briefly wondering if she had enough change to get some Big Belly Burger instead. _Quit stalling and just tell him,_ Cadence thought. She finally looked Barry in the eye. "I'm not mad," she finally said. "I mean, unless you were purposefully trying to kill him."

"I'd never do that."

"I know, Barry, I was making a point. I know you wouldn't hurt him on purpose." Barry started to smile a little, but it immediately faded when Cadence continued. "But you _did_ completely disregard what I said. I don't tell Brady not to do things to be a stick in the mud. Truth be told, I think I spoil him. I basically let him do whatever he wants as long as it won't kill him. I tell him not to do things when I think it's dangerous or if I think it's what's best for him. Just like when I told him at home to stay away from the deep end of the pool. He can swim, but he's not a strong enough swimmer at this point to handle it." She reached out and started to tap her desk with her fingertip. "I know you just wanted him to have fun but I specifically _told_ him not to jump off the rock and you didn't listen to that. And that makes me angry.

"Not just because it made it seem like you know better for him than I do, but because you didn't listen to me. And that fucking sucks. If I tell him he can't have any sweets and you decide to sneak him some anyway, that's fine. I expect you and Caitlin and Cisco and the others to do that. But…this isn't the first time you've shown that you don't trust me and I don't think I can take any more of it."

"I don't know what you're…"

"—Don't lie to me, Barry," Cadence interrupted.

Barry's jaw dropped for a moment. Then it closed. He shifted his eyes to the side and brought a hand up to rub the back of his neck. "I do trust you, Cade. You know that."

"Then how come you keep sneaking around with Becky and not say anything to the rest of us," Cadence said. She knew she had him when his hand dropped to his lap with a loud _smack_. "If you're hanging out with her, that's fine. She's someone you haven't seen in a long time. But the fact that you can't trust us to say anything other than it's 'police work' is very insulting. Did you think we wouldn't figure it out?"

"It _is_ police business," Barry defended himself. He let out a long breath, leaning forward to rest his arms on his thighs. "I didn't lie about that."

"I don't believe you," Cadence said bluntly. Barry was a bad liar—which he was. And not opposing the fact that she couldn't sense his body heat rise with his lying—it was actually spiking with his emotion this time—but because she couldn't trust him. Just as much as his actions clearly showed he didn't trust her or their other friends. She could feel her own temper running out of control, her next words coming out much harsher. "And here's the other thing; I'm not mad at you, Barry, I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed because you clearly don't trust me or anyone else. If you did, then you'd tell the truth and you would've from the beginning."

She didn't need to say he was covering for Becky. She'd figured it out fairly quickly. She wanted to hear _him_ say it. "If there is something going on, just say that it's something you can't talk about. That it's something a _friend_ doesn't want you talk about. Fine. That's it. I have no problem with that. Anything other than saying it's police business when it's really not."

"I'm just trying to help—"

'So just say that! Instead of sneaking around and acting like you can handle everything by yourself. Because, Barry, you can't. I wouldn't be here if you could. There's nothing wrong with asking for help, there's even nothing wrong with wanting to work on your own. As long as you're upfront and honest about it."

Barry took a deep breath, licking his lips. "Cade—"

"I've got a lot of work I need to finish," Cadence interrupted. She couldn't bear to listen to another excuse. As it was, she felt like crying. It took everything in her not to let the thick lump form in her throat as she was expelling everything she felt to him. "We can talk later."

And she bent her head over the report she had been filling out. She read and re-read the same lines over and over, ignoring him the best he could. Finally, Barry got the hint and got up from his seat. He left the office, gently closing the door behind him as he did so.

Once he was gone, Cadence lowered the report to her desk and leaned her head back against the ceiling. She let out a long sigh as a tear slid out the corner of her eye.

* * *

Running was the best thing to help Barry.

No matter what it was; a bad day, thinking about his mom, Captain Singh getting on him at work, results of his reports not turning out well, running helped him. It took his mind off whatever was ailing him what his conflict was at the time. It made him smile. Being the fastest man alive, being able to run wherever he wanted, made it so that he could experience whatever he wanted. He could get to Paris or Rome or Tokyo if he wanted, all within a matter of minutes. His record was getting to the coast of Australia in a half hour, passing through Hawaii along the way.

But his favorite place to run was Central City. He could explore and see his hometown in better ways than everyone else could. He's found hole in the wall diners, campsites in the forest, abandoned buildings that had historical backgrounds others probably didn't know existed. They all came and went in a flash but the exploration was the best part. Going into the unknown in otherwise familiar places.

Once he was finished with work, Barry raced out of the CCPD and started to run. This time his feet took him around and around as far as they could go, but he didn't pay too much attention to the sites. He tried to keep everything out of his head, to check out and keep going. For the first half hour he had been doing a good job, but inevitably things would come back into his head, distracting him, slowing him down. There was his friendship with Becky, but then there was his friendship with Cisco, Caitlin, and Cadence. He also had the responsibility to keep the city safe and if she was around others with powers it wasn't safe? On the other hand, how safe was it to keep it all to himself?

He'd made mistakes before but nothing as big as this. Everywhere he turned lately there were consequences of the mistakes he made. And the only way they were going to be fixed is if he took some responsibility. Now if only he could get everyone to believe him.

Barry took a left at the Square and blasted down the street towards Cadence's apartment. A couple of lefts and rights and he spotted the familiar fire escape that he had climbed numerous times before. She was home, he could see the lights on in the windows. Barry raced up the steps and reached out his hands to climb through the window sill-

 _Thwack!_

Stunned, Barry leaned back against the side of the fire escape. Bringing up a hand, he rubbed at the spot on his forehead that was going to bruise—and heal in a few moments, trying to figure out what was going on. For a minute, he thought he had been clubbed upside the head by the Reverse-Flash or any of the other metahumans and enemies that were plotting revenge against him. The way his day was going to may as well be the truth.

It took him only a few seconds to figure out what happened and the realization scared him more than anything. He had run face first into her bedroom window.

Her _closed_ bedroom window.

The one she always had open for him to come through whenever he stopped by. The one she admitted to leaving open for a place for them to talk if either of them ever needed it. And now, it was close. Barry's heart sank.

"Cade?" Barry called. He leaned closed to the window and tried to see inside. Her bedroom was dark but he could see the light from the living room pouring in. Listening hard he thought he could hear the sound of the TV on. Barry brought up his hand and knocked on the glass of the window. "Cade, it's me. I came by to…can we talk?"

His desperation increased as the seconds passed. He started to knock harder, faster.

"Cade, I'm sorry! I can explain everything." His voice cracked. "Just…please open the window."

He continued to knock on the window until it became clear to him that he wasn't going to receive a response. Barry lowered himself to the cool metal of the fire escape and leaned back, pressing his face into his hands.

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, I hope you liked this one. I had the idea of Barry and Cadence's bedroom window for a long while and speaking to my sisters and a friend about it they said it was pretty emotional. So I hope it continued to come across that way. Please remember to review; any feedback helps me become a better writer and motivates me to write more. I respond to every review.

 _Happy 4th of July!_

 **Cheers,**

 **Riles**


	15. Chapter 15

**.:15:.**

* * *

"Look, guys, I'm sorry," Barry said. He kept his gaze on the floor, arms crossed, almost as if trying to protect himself from the onslaught of words that were no doubt, seconds away from beating him into submission. "I know I should've said something earlier but…" he shrugged. "I guess I was afraid to."

"Well, we knew you were acting funny," Cisco said. "And, honestly, we probably should've guessed what it was, but—"

"—But this is a big thing, Barry," Caitlin broke in. "Is that this is really dangerous for the city, not just Becky." She glanced at Harrison, who sat quietly in his wheelchair between her and Cisco. He had been silent since Barry arrived at STAR Labs after work that day, quickly explaining what was going on with Becky. She was the one who had sent all the other metas into a frenzy, making their powers show when they didn't know they had it or when they were trying to keep it a secret.

"I know, that's why I brought her here." Barry turned and motioned for Becky to join him. She turned away from The Flash suit that sat on its mannequin and hesitantly walked towards them. Barry gave her a reassuring smile and a quiet, "It's okay."

"I didn't think any of this would happen," Becky said. Her tone was apologetic, but she kept her eyes on everyone. She certainly wasn't afraid of their response rather than her powers themselves. As it was, she didn't stand too close to Barry in case he suddenly decided to start taking laps around the Cortex.

As it was, sparks of electricity shot through his eyes every few minutes. Enough so that he had to close his eyes tightly and tense every muscle in his body to keep from allowing the urge to start running around. Or start to vibrate all over as he had when he first received his powers.

"If I had known, I would've said something sooner but I was scared," Becky said. She motioned towards Barry. "I made him promise not to say anything because I never knew when someone around me was going to start going crazy. And I've been seeing what's been going on with everything in Central City over the last couple of months and I couldn't stand knowing I was one of them."

"I don't mean to rain on your parade as it were, but just because one finds that they have powers doesn't necessarily mean they're going to be evil," Harrison pointed out to her.

"But every meta that's been found has been persecuted in some way," Becky insisted. "I've heard the news. Some have been locked up in psychiatric holds and put on heavy medication due to the things they've seen or done."

Barry nodded. He knew Michael Bloom, someone Cadence had been in close contact with, was one of them. Through the Assassination Bureau he had been mind-controlled to kidnap, rob banks, and be the scapegoat for all the mercenary dealings the criminal organization were behind.

"And then there are those that have been put in separate cells in Iron Heights and are treated like nothing," Becky said. She shook her head. "I can't imagine what'll happen to the good ones that have powers. Because of me, they're starting to be put in jail and I know it's all my fault."

"So, what can we do?" Caitlin asked. "If she can't control her powers, then she can't go out around other people as much."

"But how are we supposed to teach her how to control them?" Cisco asked. "It's easier for other people who can run fast or do elemental bursts. Even Roy Bivolo learned how to handle his powers and his were all through his eyes."

Becky ran a hand through her hair and let out a low sigh. She took in a shuddery breath, tears starting to come to her eyes. She started to say something but Harrison spoke up for her. "Considering the limit of her powers, there's only so much that can be done. Think of it if it were in reverse, she has the ability to cancel out any meta's powers. Once it was seen that that could happen, it'd be used to take down any of the criminal minded metas. But what's to stop it from there? What if she was used to take down _any_ meta in the city so that things would go back to 'normal'." He used air quotes around the words. "Now think of her powers, if any of those that we've already gone up against; the Assassination Bureau, the Reverse-Flash, Captain Cold or even Heat Wave became aware of her abilities, they'd use her to create chaos all around Central City."

"And no one would be able to stop them," Caitlin said. She shook her head. "Wow, I guess I never thought of it that way."

"Sounds as awesome as it is horrifying," Cisco agreed.

"Now you know why I didn't say anything," Becky said. She tilted her head towards Barry. "I've been talking to him for a while now, trying to get an idea of what his powers are like and what he's been doing. He's been a big help of wrapping my head around what's been going on with me but…I still don't know what to do."

"So, I brought her here," Barry explained. "It's the only place I know that she would be the safest." Caitlin and Cisco exchanged another glance. Harrison brought up a hand to cover his mouth, resting his elbow on the arm of his wheelchair. Barry waited for any of them to say something, but when they didn't, he finally asked, "What?"

"It's just…" Caitlin trailed off. She gave Barry an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Barry, but maybe Central City isn't the safest place for her."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…if we kept her here, what could we do to stop her? We could put her in the Pipeline to keep her safe but that's no life," Caitlin explained.

"And we have the meta dampeners down there, if her powers make it so that everyone else uses their powers, what if it cancels out the powers of the dampener," Cisco added. "Then all of the other metas we have down there can break out and wreak havoc."

Barry's jaw dropped as the realization of their words hit him. He ran a hand over his hair and exchanged a glance with Becky, who looked as dismayed as he did. They had to do something. They couldn't just leave her to fend for her own. That was the point of what they were doing. They took metahumans and rehabilitated them to be released back into the city. So far there were some that were more dangerous than others, but that didn't mean they didn't work hard to show them the error of their ways.

 _But how many of them have we really helped?_ The thought entered Barry's mind before he could stop it. They'd been so preoccupied with the Reverse-Flash lately that they'd done nothing more than feed the metas they held onto. They couldn't risk letting them out for air and sunlight because of their chance to escape. Maybe they weren't better than anyone else.

"I'm sorry, Barry, but it looks like it's our only option," Caitlin said. Her voice had lowered to almost a whisper now. Barry looked at her knew and she was telling the truth, she really was sorry. Cisco and Harrison looked as apologetic as well. It was the first time they had failed.

"No, there has to be something else we can do," Barry said. He turned and placed his hand on Becky's shoulder. "I'll think of something. You just stay here for a little bit, you don't have to go down into the Pipeline or anything."

Becky reached up her hand and placed it on top of Barry's. His hand vibrated rapidly and he stared at it in surprise and a little fear. The same way he had when he first received his powers. The overwhelming fear of needing to know what was going on and what to do paralyzed him. It was the first time in his life he didn't have any answers, no matter how hard he wracked his brain to figure it.

"It's okay, Barry," Becky said quietly. "Maybe it's the best thing for me. I should've gone back to Gotham when things first started. It would've kept everything from blowing up the way it did." She removed her hand from his shoulder and hugged her arms to his chest. "I should've said something when I first found out that you were The Flash." She nodded to Harrison, Caitlin, and Cisco. "I know I've caused a lot of problems for you guys, but if you think it's best that I leave…is it okay if I ask for your help?"

"Of course, Becky. We'll do everything we can to get you out of here safely."

Barry turned away, bringing his hands up to rest on his head. He closed his eyes, letting out a long, weary sigh. He had the best intentions of trying to help her and all it did was make things harder for him in the long run. Caitlin was right, keeping secrets like that for so long was never a good idea. It just caused too much grief.

"Are you okay, man?" Cisco came up behind Barry. Barry turned his head to look at him, finding his best friend with his hands shoved into his pockets, rocking back and forth on his heels. "I mean, besides, the obvious."

"Just that I can't seem to apologize enough to make this right," Barry muttered. He tilted his head and glanced around at the Cortex, the one place he had felt at home since receiving his powers. "And, I don't think anyone will understand why I wanted to help her so badly."

"Try me," Cisco said.

"Becky was a part of my life that was really great," Barry said. "When we were hanging out in high school it was like everyone forgot I was the weird kid. The one who liked science so much, got As on everything, went above and beyond on their science projects and everything academic. I didn't have to think about being Henry and Nora Allen's son. Just me. I guess I was thinking the same way now, now that I'm The Flash _and_ Barry Allen…it can be pretty exhausting trying to be both of them. I mean, with Iris and my dad…"

Cisco nodded but stayed silent.

"It's hard to have to keep things quiet from everyone all the time. So, when Becky came around again it brought all those feelings back to me. But…it made me realize, too, that I already had that. And I managed to ruin it."

Barry brought up a hand and rubbed his forehead. The bruise had long since healed but he still felt the way Cadence's window smacked against his forehead when he crashed into it. He'd finally gone to the front door and kept knocking until Brady answered the door. He'd never seen the young boy look at him with as much disdain as he did when he opened the door.

"My mom's not here," he said.

Barry didn't quite believe that. He was tempted to run inside and looked around the apartment, but the last thing he wanted to do was anger her even further. "Are you sure?" He asked instead.

Brady lifted his eyebrows. "I think I'd know if my mom was home."

"Right, I, yeah." Barry cleared his throat. Ran his hands over his face. "It's just…I really need to talk to her."

"She doesn't want to talk to you," Brady said. He took a step back and started to close the door. "Neither do I."

"Wait! Wait, please." Barry reached out his hand and held the door open. Brady pressed his hands against the door and tried to walk into it, his feet sliding along the hardwood floor. A squeak emanated with each step, unable to advance forward. "I just…I really need to talk to her."

"You hurt her feelings," Brady said. "She hates it when people lie to her."

"I know." He was saying that a lot. Finally, Barry dropped his hand from the door, but stuck his foot out at the last second when the door suddenly moved, pitching him forward. "Can you…can you just tell her that I stopped by? And that I want to talk to her."

"She doesn't want to—"

"I know she doesn't want to talk to me. But I'm hoping she'd at least listen. Can you tell her, please?"

"Fine." Brady stood up straight and started to play with the doorknob, twisting it back and forth in his hands. "I'll tell her."

"And Brady?"

"What?"

"I'm sorry."

That had been the night before and Barry still hadn't seen her. She hadn't gone to work that day and when he asked Captain Singh he said it wasn't his business as to why anyone would be out of the office for the day.

"I liked being able to feel that I was…normal," Barry explained to Cisco. He shook his head. "I don't think I'm explaining myself very well. I know it was selfish, but…I don't know, man. I'm just sorry."

"Hey, I get it," Cisco said, surprising Barry. "Like, if I wasn't working at STAR Labs right now, and I was doing something else and you guys came to hang out, or something, I'd probably do the same thing. I feel the most normal when I'm around you guys. I mean, I don't have powers or anything but I feel normal. Being around other people that don't get it makes me feel like I'm living a double life and I don't need to have one when in the science world and kicking metahuman ass."

Barry smiled.

"Look, Caitlin and I were really starting to worry because of how…secretive you were becoming. And we thought that you might've known something about this meta, who turns out to be Becky, but the most important thing is, we trusted you to eventually tell us what's going on."

"You did?" Barry's eyebrows came together.

"Yeah, you're our best friend. And we make mistakes all the time. You'd have to screw up _royally_ for us to not want to forgive you," he teased.

Barry finally smiled. He reached out a hand and Cisco clapped his into Barry's. "Thanks, man."

"You're welcome." Cisco stared to rock back and forth on his heels. "Now if only you could do one thing for me."

"What's that?"

"Admit that you were wrong."

"I thought I already did."

Cisco whipped out his phone and started to record. "Uh-huh, yeah. I just want to make sure that I get it on tape. You know, if we ever come into a situation where I'll ever need it again."

Barry shook his head. With a burst of speed, he plucked Cisco's phone from his hand and speed-deleted the recording before changing the lock on his phone. With a laugh, he tossed the phone back to Cisco. "Crack that code and maybe I'll think about it."

"Nice play, Mr. Allen, but I'm smart, I'll figure it out," Cisco said.

"So, I guess there's just one thing you need to do then," Caitlin said, getting Barry's attention. "While we figure out how to get Becky out of here without any more problems." Barry glanced at her in confusion and she and Cisco both look sheepish. "We were talking about what's been going on with you before, and…she explained what happened recently."

"Now if only I could get her to talk to me," Barry said.

The sound of grinding gears came to Barry's ears and he looked over to find Harrison wheeling their way. "I don't mean to interrupt, but I feel I have some information that is of the utmost importance to this conversation." He let go of the joystick that propelled the wheelchair and the car gently glided to a stop. "Considering the location of a certain fire metahuman."

* * *

"Mom, if your plan is to make me fat, you're going to have a hard time of that happening," Cadence remarked. She smacked the ice cream sundae that was placed in front of her with the back of her spoon. "I burn off too many calories just by sitting and breathing."

"Pun intended?" Kent teased, his eyes shone with mirth at his joke.

Cadence smiled back. "Pun intended. You'd be surprised how much I hate to eat to even have energy."

"Does this mean I can have yours when I finish?" Brady asked, already digging into his own sundae. Cadence lifted her hand and pushed hers away, lifting her gaze to watch her mother as she replaced the ice cream in their freezer and joined them at the table.

"If I were trying to make you fat, I would've done it years go," Maya commented. She crossed her leg at the knee and draped a napkin over her lap. Kent stood up and carefully pushed her chair into the table before taking his seat once more. "Now, what is it that's brought you back here so soon?"

Cadence glared at her.

Kent lifted his hand. "Don't be so upset with her Cadey, I'm just as curious as she is. Not that we're not excited to see you, but your track record of coming to visit, holidays notwithstanding, hasn't been very stellar these last couple of years."

"Now you're starting to talk like my friend Caitlin," Cadence pointed out. "She likes to use a lot of big words that aren't needed to explain something."

"I hate to break it to you, but people in advertising are pretty smart, too," Kent said. He paused. "Then there's me, who just tries to sound smart." He smiled when Brady immediately burst out into laughter. Maya joined in a second later and Cadence smiled warmly. She wasn't quite in the mood to start laughing yet, but he always did a great job of making her feel better about her problems.

Maybe that was why Metropolis immediately came to mind after everything that'd happened between her and Barry. It was hard to be in Central City knowing how much had gone on; how many lies had swirled around her, how many lives she had ruined and how many times she hadn't been trusted in response. It was all too much to bear. So, she went to Captain Singh saying she was taking some personal days and signed Brady out of school and immediately went home.

It startled her to find her parents walking slowly up the street towards the house when she arrived, much like they were waiting for her to arrive. But they didn't say anything but ask what they wanted for dinner before ushering the two inside. Since then her parents hadn't pressured her into talking about what was bothering her or anything of the sort. Instead, they asked how work was going—at the CCPD and as Flare.

"The city's been buzzing since Flash and Flare left," Kent explained. "Wondering who they are and all that. Clark Kent did an article on the incident but he hasn't figured out who it is either. And Kent's been the one who seems to get the scoop on everything Superman."

"Almost like he's always there," Maya added. She tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder. "Chances are he's got someone on the inside to do it for him. Though Lois Lane has been writing some good articles lately. Speaking of which, isn't one of your friends a reporter?"

"Oh, you mean Iris?" Cadence asked. "Yeah, she's doing a lot of different stories now. Human interest and things like that. Crimes going on around the city."

"Really?" Kent's eyebrows rose. He stirred chocolate syrup into his ice cream. "I thought you said you and Barry were taking down all of the criminals and metas that were coming up in the city."

Cadence looked at him curiously. Her eyebrows lowered in suspicion, resting her chin in her palm. "I never said Barry was The Flash."

"You didn't have to, sweetie," Maya said. She crossed her legs the other way. "There were so many obvious signs. Just as when we figured out you were Flare. Honestly, I'm not quite sure how we didn't figure it out before."

"Why?"

"Because you've always had a sense of trying to help someone else," Kent explained. He polished off his ice cream and pushed the dish aside. Thinking Cadence's attention was set on her father, he wiggled his hand out towards her dish. Cadence quickly slapped his hand away with her spoon, making him jerk his hand back.

"Ow!" Brady pulled his hand back and licked at the smear of chocolate sauce that was left.

"And while we might not have initially shown our excitement with your career change, you're still helping other people and that's what made you happy. And there aren't many other people who have your power set. We weren't lying when we said we were proud of you."

Cadence rested her chin in her hand. _They wouldn't be saying that if they knew the things I'd done,_ she thought. She'd disappointed them enough when she got pregnant, she didn't need to do it even further.

"Or does this have to do with Barry?"

"Shh!" Barry brought his finger to his lips, shushing his grandparents loudly. "Don't say the 'B' word."

Maya's eyes shifted back and forth. "Why not?"

"Oh." Kent nodded, suddenly understanding. "This has to do with a boy."

Cadence frowned, making Kent chuckle. He clearly got her _Why did you have to say it like that _tone to her glare. "Oh no, what happened?" Maya asked. "I thought he was such a nice boy. I'm sure everything is just a misunderstanding and you can work things out."

"I don't know, mom, would _you_ want to be with someone who didn't trust you?"

"Did you cheat on him or something?"

"Mom!"

"Did he cheat on you?"

" _Mom!"_

Now Brady was howling with laughter. Maya waved her hand. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I don't mean to imply anything. I'm just trying to figure out what it is that's making you so upset. I don't like to see you so sad."

"I'm not sad," Cadence denied.

"Yes, you are," Brady jumped in.

"Who's side are you on anyway?"

Brady beamed.

Kent laced his fingers together and rested his chin on his hands. "Cadey, when you're sad, you don't talk as much. And when you're upset it's when you get really…aggressive. Both of which we've seen since you go here." He looked over at his wife and grandson. "Do you mind giving us a minute alone?"

"Not at all, dear," Maya said. She reached over and took the melting sundae from in front of Cadence and handed it to Brady before leading them from the room.

"Mom," Cadence warned her.

"Oh, let him eat it, he's not getting any younger," Kent said calmly. "Trust me, one minute you'll blink and he'll be headed off to college."

"If it means my food bill will go down, I'm all for it." Cadence brushed her hair back from her forehead and rested her cheek in her palm. "What is it, daddy?"

"I just want to know what is that really happened between you and Barry? The last time you were here you seemed to be getting along just fine. Better than fine, even." Cadence rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm going to do the embarrassing father thing and say I could tell from the way you were looking at each other. Now, if you want me to just take your side and saw he was a jerk and that you were right— "

"Dad," Cadence interrupted him. "This is the exact same thing you told me one of the few times that Ryder and I got into a fight."

"And it worked, didn't it?" Kent smiled. "So why don't we just skip down to the part where you tell me what's wrong?"

A large sigh escaped Cadence's lips. "It's a lot of things, Dad."

"I have the time."

So, she explained as much as she could. She couldn't begin to think about what he would say if she were to reveal what she'd done with the Assassination Bureau. But she did explain how she'd got mixed up with some bad people and had worked hard to make a better life for herself afterwards. She explained how she worked as hard as she could be trustworthy with everything that had been going on in Central City, what had happened with Brady at the beach, how Barry had continued to lie to her and her friends about Becky, how selfish his actions had been, how she felt like nothing she was doing was going to ever change their minds about who she was and how she was afraid she wouldn't change.

"Then it sounds like you're more afraid of how you're perceiving yourself rather than how he sees you. Thinking that he and others don't trust you is a worse because it proves your worst thoughts about yourself. Just like when you were afraid that you'd disappointed us when you got pregnant."

That was news to her. "You mean, I didn't?"

Kent paused. He pressed his lips together. "I'm not going to say that your admission that you got pregnant wasn't a surprise. And now I can freely admit we handled it terribly, but we were very proud of you for your decision to step up as a parent. We're very proud of you. You're not a disappointment to us at all."

"Really?" Cadence lifted a skeptical eyebrow.

"Really." He lowered his voice and whispered so Maya wouldn't hear. "You and I both know the only way anyone would be disappointed would be if we went the rest of our lives without getting a grandchild."

"Now all you need is a wedding, right?"

"You said it, not me. By the way, your mother hoped it'd be Barry."

"Not Ryder?"

"Not after he left, no."

"Ah."

"So, at this point you can let your own fears continue to sit around and get bigger and bigger, or you can kick sand over it and take the time to listen to what Barry has to say," Kent continued. "Life's too short to hold you back from what you really want."

Now Cadence laughed. "I think you're taking the Cadey-Cat thing a little bit too far, dad."

"What can I say?" Kent got up from his seat and walked over to Cadence, giving her a kiss on the side of the head. "That's my job. Now, there's something else I was curious about?" Cadence nodded, tilting her head back to look at him. "What is it that you can do with your powers? Now that we can openly talk about it, I really want to know how you can handle all of those metas."

Cadence laughed.

* * *

 **A/N:** And now you know why Cadence reacted so badly to what happened. It's mostly her own insecurities being confirmed—in her mind—that made her upset. Hope you guys liked it.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	16. Chapter 16

**.:16:.**

* * *

Barry blasted into the lobby of the CCPD, tying his latest criminal victim to the check-in desk, raced back to STAR Labs, changed out of his suit, and got back to his office all within a matter of seconds. Just another day of getting both of his jobs done. It was as selfish thought, he knew, but he really did miss having Cadence around to help with those sorts of things.

It was something they had started to do since her first day at the CCPD; if it was a small thing that needed to be handled one went to handle it while the other came up with an excuse if anyone wondered where they went. And vice-versa. Now that she was in Metropolis—as Harrison had told him—Barry found himself running faster and doing everything faster to make sure he could juggle it all.

On one hand, it was good practice for his powers, on the other he was truly running himself ragged.

Yes, it was selfish.

And it didn't help that Becky was sitting in his office, basically hiding. They found it to be too dangerous for her to stay at STAR Labs, just in case her powers had a far reach and the metas they had in the pipeline managed to break free. All the same she couldn't stay at the West house because of Barry's powers and Iris stopping by at any point. Even being at the CCPD was making Barry sweat bullets.

He rarely had visitors to his office but it seemed like Eddie was really getting into the idea of the two working out together waiting for the perfect time to leave. If there were anyone in the CCPD that had powers, this was the last time he wanted to figure that out. As it was, he didn't have the chance to grab Becky and run her out either, for some reason she seemed to be stalling to leave.

Every time he would get ready to go she would shake her head and say, just a few more minutes, before looking at her watch. So far, she had managed to stall for an hour. _She's probably trying to wrap her head around the fact she's leaving,_ Barry thought. _I would be, too._

He couldn't imagine what his life would be like if he hadn't been able to stay in Central City. His family had all turned their backs on his dad after the trial and none of them had come forward to take him in. If it hadn't been for Joe and Iris…

Barry shook his head, focusing on the work he needed to get done. If he didn't do it soon, Captain Singh was going to get on his back about it. Since waking up from his coma with his new powers, Barry managed to get a _lot_ of backlogged forensic tests finished and the results returned and kept up the steady pace as the day went by. It would be more than suspicious if he started to slow down again.

Plopping down in his chair, Barry allowed it to propel himself across the floor of his lab to pick up a beaker filled with the chemical he needed. Then, using his feet, he walked himself back over to his desk and pulled on a pair of safety goggles.

"Wow, you really don't do things at half-speed, do you?" Becky asked.

"Not when I don't have to," Barry replied. He poured a few chemicals together, putting in a hair sample retrieved from a crime scene earlier that day and used his speed to shake the beaker. The chemicals inside turned from a sickly shade of green to an electric blue.

"Having powers of speed must really come in handy, too."

"It does for the most part." Barry smiled over at her. "The only time it doesn't is when I'm stuck in one of the meetings. I mean, I can plan the rest of my week when I'm sitting there but…I often wonder how I managed to do anything without my speed. If I ever lose my powers I'll definitely have taken it for granted."

Becky laughed. She rested her hands on the end of her seat and rocked back and forth. Barry noticed her look at her watch once more, letting out a quiet sigh. "Is there something you're waiting on?"

"Yeah, I was, but it looks like it's not going to happen," Becky replied mysteriously. Then she stood up, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket. "Well, I guess I'm ready to go."

Barry put his tools down, took off his gloves. "If you need some more time— "

"—I've had enough time realizing that I can probably never come back here. Not when there's so many people who were potentially affected by the Particle Accelerator. I'll be fine. Let's go."

"Okay."

Barry made sure he didn't have any chemicals over an open flame or anything that would potentially react with each other in the time he was gone and walked her down to the lobby of the CCPD. He stopped and turned, giving Becky big hug. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him back, pressing the side of her face to his chest. He was surprised at how much he realized he was going to miss her. Not just because it was someone from his past who truly made him feel like himself, but also because he had failed.

There was more he could do to help her but not when she was in the general vicinity. He didn't like feeling that he couldn't help her.

"Hey, none of this is your fault," Becky said. "None of us knew this was going to happen."

"I just wish that you weren't being sent away because of me," Barry said.

"How is this about you?" She didn't say it to accuse him, but because she was generally curious.

Barry shrugged, shoved his hands into his pockets. "If I had the chance to work harder on what was going on with you instead of trying to keep it a secret…we only just got your DNA so we can do tests on it, if I had gotten it sooner— "

"And do what? Speed pluck my hair from my head?" Becky laughed. She reached out and placed her hand on Barry's arm. "You always did have a bit of a guilty conscience over everything, Bare. I liked that about you, because it showed you were so empathetic with everyone. But sometimes you need to give yourself a break."

"I've heard that a lot," Barry said. "Doesn't really seem like something I can do."

"I know you can, it'll just take time. You might be The Flash, but you're still Barry Allen and the weight of the world isn't really on your shoulders." She nodded towards the front of the CCPD where a car pulled up. "I called a taxi, I couldn't have you take any more time out of your day to run me there."

"It really wouldn't have been a problem," Barry protested.

"I know but…what if you decided to run so fast you suddenly turned into dust or something?" She laughed. "Then _I'd_ feel guilty. I'll be fine. Tell Caitlin and the others that I'll miss them and I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused. And, that I wished I'd gotten to know them better."

"I will," Barry promised.

Becky picked up her bag and held it to her chest as she walked outside. She greeted the taxi and slid into the backseat. She waved once more before the taxi drove away. Barry waved back. He let out a long sigh, watching her leave.

"So, Becky left, huh?"

Barry turned his head to find Iris and Joe coming his way. "Were you watching me?" He asked.

"No, we were just going to go out to lunch," Iris explained, looking towards her father for confirmation. "And here you are." Her eyes softened. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," Barry replied. He then paused and blinked at her. "Actually, maybe not. You didn't say her name like you always used to."

"Like what?" Iris asked. She smiled despite sounding a little offended.

"Like you hated her guts," Joe broke in. His smile made Iris roll her eyes. "Like that."

"I never hated her guts," she defended herself. "I told you, I just didn't think she was right for you. I mean, I guess I was right but I didn't mean anything bit it." She chewed her lower lip. "Which sucks, because she's not as bad as I thought she was."

"What?" Barry gave a startled laugh.

Joe held up a hand. "Wait, when did you talk to her?"

"Oh, I ran into her when she was coming into the CCPD and we got to talking for a little while," Iris explained. Her teeth shone with her bright smile. "Turns out we have a lot more in common. Especially with how nice and sweet we think you are," She said to Barry. Barry exchanged a worried glance with Joe. Iris's voice lowered as she said, "She told me how she was having some problems with her job and that she was thinking of moving back but you talked her out of it."

"I did?" Barry asked.

"Yeah, she said that you said if she could handle the struggles this long then she was tougher than she thought. That she could just keep going and everything would fall into place and she'd find an answer."

Barry nodded. He tried not to smile. It sounded like the sort of advice she should've given him.

"That's Barry," Joe agreed. He reached out a hand and grasped his shoulder, shaking it. "Always thinking of everyone else."

"You mean always _saving_ everyone else," Iris agreed.

"And that's okay, too," Joe said. Barry noticed the change in his tone and noticed Joe was looking at him intently. They weren't talking about Becky's job anymore, they were talking about him as The Flash. "It's great that you care about her, Barry. You wouldn't be you if you didn't. Even if things don't turn out the way you wanted, doesn't mean you've failed."

Barry nodded back. "I guess you're right."

"Hey, did you want to get some lunch with us?" Iris asked. She reached out and poked him on the arm, her hands still inside her jack pockets. "We haven't gotten together in a while."

"Actually, I already had plans with Caitlin and Cisco. We were going to go to Big Belly Burger," Barry explained. There wasn't any other way that Cisco could come up with for him to pay them back for their blind faith in them; paying for another round of lunch. Save for being their slave for a week. Caitlin had quickly shot that idea down though she had entertained having her files organized faster.

"What a coincidence, that's where we were headed," Joe said.

Barry grinned. "Then let's go."

* * *

A heavy sigh to roll the long day off his back escaped Barry's lips as he barged through the front door of his house. He tossed his keys and jacket aside, turning in the direction of the kitchen, then stopped short when he spotted Cadence sitting on the stair landing.

For a moment, he didn't notice her. The darkness of the room had completely shrouded her on the stairs. And in the exact moment he saw her, the hair on the back of his neck rose, a cold sweat broke out in his armpits, his heart rate increased. Then there was a small flicker of a fire ball over her hands, majestic and bright, casting light across her shadowed face and his entire body slumped in relaxation.

Cadence looked up when he came in and gave a small, wary smile.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"Hey," Barry replied. He approached he reached the foot of the stairs in a few, small steps. "What are you doing here?" He paused, looking at the front door that had been locked. " _How_ did you get in here?"

"Well." Cadence clapped her hands together. "I planned on being all symbolic and climbing through your bedroom window. But you make it look a lot easier than it actually is."

"And I don't have a fire escape," Barry pointed out.

"So, I just teleported in. I figured at some point you'd come back here and…" Cadence laughed, running a hand through her hair. "I'm glad Joe doesn't have a motion sensing alarm."

"Yeah, the cop car sitting in the driveway is usually a good deterrent for would-be criminals," Barry joke. He ran a hand through his hair. "Cade, I'm really sorry for what happened. I don't want you to think that I don't trust you. I'm sorry I kept lying to you. I trust you with my life, both parts of it. And I only like to keep Becky safe. I know it was stupid but at the time it felt like the best thing for the situation. And— "

"—I know," Cadence interrupted. Barry fell silent and looked back at her. "Becky told me."

" _She_ told you?" Barry asked. "When did you talk to her?"

"When I was back at home and she called me. She explained everything that had been going on. I guess it didn't take too long for her to figure out that I was in Metropolis."

"Yeah, Harrison mentioned it," Barry mumbled. His mind whirled, trying to piece everything together.

"I have to admit, I was a little surprised that you didn't just show up on our door step one day." The smile came back as she nodded towards the stairs. "Or climb through my bedroom window. It wouldn't work well back home though, I don't have anything outside it to pull myself up. Made sneaking out a little difficult when I didn't have a good grasp on my teleportation."

"I thought about it," Barry admitted. He ran a hand through his hair again, shoved them into his pockets. "I thought you could use some time there to figure some things out. Or I was scared, I guess."

"I get it," Cadence agreed. "I was scared, too." She took in a deep breath. "I wasn't scared of you or what was going on with us, I was scared of me. My dad…he made he realize that my biggest issue wasn't that I felt you couldn't trust me. It was that, in my head, I used it to concretely determine that everything that's ever been said about me was true. That I threw my life away, I'd never be a good mom, I'd never make something of my life, I couldn't be trusted, that I'd _never_ be anything more than a pawn of the Assassination Bureau." She started to toss a fireball back and forth between her hands.

Her face became illuminated once more and Barry could see the sincerity in her face, in her eyes that were locked on him.

"I have…" she paused for a long moment then admitted, "I have a lot of things I need to work through in my life. My relationship with my parents, my relationship with everyone around me, my own relationship with Brady and how I truly feel being such a young mom…and it's going to take some time. But I don't blame you for what you've done. If it were Ryder or Mallory or anyone else from my past, I might've done the same thing. I don't know."

Barry cleared his throat, held his breath. He felt she had something else she wanted to say. He was right.

"I don't think you have anything to apologize about, Barry. I do. I took everything out on you and I really shouldn't have. I mean, I meant everything I said. I felt that I was being disrespected but the way I said it was really…" She chuckled, brushed her palms on the sides of her legs. "Now it sounds like I'm trying to back out of my apology. I really am sorry, Barry."

 _I'm sorry, too._ The words came to Barry's lips but he stopped himself from saying it. He didn't have to. He already did. _Apology accepted_ came to mind as well. But how silly was that, no one said since they were young, opting to say, 'it's okay' instead. The stifling weight of fear had been removed from them both and Barry felt lighter, much lighter than he had the last few days. He lifted his chin and leveled his gaze at Cadence, smiling.

It took Cadence a few seconds to realize it. Then her own smile formed, all the way until a dimple formed in her cheek. Then she stood up and bounded down the stairs, leaping off the last step to throw her arms around Barry's neck in a squeezing hug. Her body collided into his and Barry wrapped his arms around her to return the hug with as much strength as he could muster.

Apology accepted.

Everything was okay.

* * *

"So, your mom and dad were okay with the meta stuff?" Caitlin asked, leaning over to finish tying the laces to her ice skates.

"You have no idea," Cadence replied. She laughed at the memory. When showing Kent everything she could do with her powers he kept asking question after question. If you can do this can you do that? If you can do that can you do this? How strong are you? How fast are you? Have you ever used your powers to get through school in any way? What about doing chores at home? "I think he was more excited at the idea than Brady was when I told him. And mom started asking a lot of questions, too. I don't think she's quite _happy_ about it, but she's okay with it."

"That's great, someone else who knows our secret," Cisco said. He was already standing up, having put on his laces earlier. "You know, soon we're going to have to put a neon sign on STAR Labs saying, 'Flash resides here'."

"And Flare," Barry quickly added.

Cadence held up her hand. "At this point I'm just glad that my mom and dad accept me being a meta. I don't need the signs or anything." She slapped her hand down into Barry's and stood up from the bench, pulling Barry up with her. "Though a parade isn't out of the question."

"You want to stoke your ego that much?" Caitlin teased.

"No, I just want the free stuff." The four laughed.

"Can we go _now_?" Brady's impatient question caught their attention. He beamed when Cadence nodded and the group headed out onto the ice, stepping tentatively at first before starting to skate around with all the other patrons for that day.

"Okay Miss. Snow, let's see how good you _really_ are," Cisco declared, taking Caitlin's hand in his and skated faster.

"I'm sure you don't want that, Cisco," Caitlin said with a slow smile…only seconds before she skated so fast that she was practically dragging Cisco behind her. The scar around her neck flowed in the wind she created.

Barry laughed, skating alongside Cadence. "He's so going to regret that later."

"I think he already is," Cadence agreed, giggling. She let out a loud shriek when Brady fell to his knees, almost pulling her down beside him.

Barry laughed once they got back to their feet, falling once more. "Okay, I think this might be safer." He moved to Brady's left side and grabbed onto his hand while Cadence grabbed his right, holding the younger boy up between them.

Brady tilted his head back, eyes shining with mischief as he looked at his mother. "Are you still sad, mom?"

Cadence rolled her eyes, her cheeks flushing. "I wasn't _sad_!"

"Yes, you were," Brady insisted.

"Sad about what?" Barry asked.

Brady swooped in before Cadence could stop him and said simply, "She missed you." Then he leaned back and forced Barry's and Cadence's hands together before skating around and in front of them.

"Whose side are you on, anyway?" Cadence called to him.

"Yours!" He called back.

"And to think I nearly killed him," Barry joked. Then he got a good look at Cadence's face and smiled sheepishly. "Too soon?"

"Much too soon," Cadence agreed. Still, she leaned over, pulling onto Barry's arm so that he bent to her height and gave him a kiss, lips warm compared to the cool air around them.

Barry smiled when he pulled back, tightening his grasp on Cadence's hand, pushing their palms together.

Sparks flew.

Literally.

* * *

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N:** So, for my first try of a strictly romance story I thought it went well, especially considering this is before the Reverse-Flash was a big villain and moderately early in season 1. Plus, writing in Becky was fun to get more into Barry's head. She kind of reminds me of Cade in a way, lol woops. Sometimes I wondered if it was a bit boring considering the show is always so action filled and this was much calmer but it was a good way to explain some things about Cade and the relationships around her without having to drag down the main storyline.

However, I enjoyed it well enough that I have plans for two more BarryCade romance stories. I don't know when they'll be up, but I do have them in mind. Thanks to everyone who favorite, alerted, and reviewed.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


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